Altered Destinies: Return to Remnant
by teamaster2
Summary: "Per UNSC Naval Code 45812, you are hereby conscripted into UNSC's special project code-named ORION-II, also known as SPARTAN II." "So that's how it started. Our time as Spartans. Not through glory or anything like that. We were conscripts, what a way to start a career." Memoirs of Jaune Arc, Professor of Beacon Academy. -Renamed!-
1. The Beginning

Hey guys, welcome to the revamped Spartan Fall! So a few things first, happy Thanksgiving! Second, sorry about the lack of updates on my everything, between this, Skyrim Remastered, Battlefield 1 and Rainbow Six Siege, I've been busy. Third thing, I have editors! You guys likely remember that not having some editors or someone to read over what I've rewritten, these are guys I know personally and are big Halo and RWBY fans, so expect more concestiany. Anyways guys, let's get going!

"Dialogue."

'Character Thoughts'

"Radio communications"

Sierra 034's log, date 03-27-2528. We're still fighting over Harvest, and well, nothing noticeable. Jorge had the great idea of sending a phantom with a nuke, into an assault carrier via the gravity beam. Blew the whole damn thing up nicely. Of course, the covie's weren't so happy about that. They're still chasing us. Anywho, it's been about three years since we entered the war, three years since Chi Ceti. We somehow managed to lose no one and destroy a Covenant ship. However, we've all been split up, Red Team is on the Spirit of Fire. Black Team is working for ONI, shocking, and then us, Blue Team, John, Kelly, Jorge, and I, are fighting Covenant on Harvest. We landed two years ago at Alpha Base near the north pole.

We've been steadily working our way south. In Vigrond, there is a major UNSC forward operating base there, seeing how it's the largest city closest to the capital of Utgard. However, we lost Winterstein to the west of us. Several battalions of Covenant are moving towards Vigrond, a major battle is gonna be there, and we're still about a day's journey from the city. While on the move, we've found several civilian convoys, we didn't have anytime to bury them. All we could do was grab any IDs and move on, though, most were all skeletons by that point. We're gonna be hunkering down in a village called Gandvik. We're gonna hold up there for the night. We may be spartans, but the Covenant are better night fighters, Kelly nearly found that out the hard way. Anyway, this is Spartan Arc-084, signing out.

-Flashback, 11 years ago-

It was several days since Jaune was taken from home, and he was greeted by a beautiful site: they were over a planet. Upon first glance, it looks mostly dominated by mountains and hills, however if you looked close enough, you could see cityscapes with one or two very tall towers reaching into space. Besides mountains and cityscapes, there was also the occasional flat lands, likely plains covered in farms. If he wasn't scared out of his mind, he would've been smiling. He was shaken out of his thoughts by someone putting their hand on his shoulder, looking at him, it was the same man who took him away from his family, his sisters. His home in Arcadia.

A few hours later, he, and a lot of other children were on a planet. And all of them were following some man into a room. In the room was two women, though one was blue? 'What?

"Please have a seat, all of you." The woman said.

"Per naval code 45812, you are hereby conscripted into UNSC's special project code-named ORION-II, also known as SPARTAN II. Your parents are gone. The planet Reach is your new home. Your fellow trainees are your new family. Each of you has been hand-selected and called to serve. Your bodies are already faster and stronger than other children, and we are going to make them even better. Chief Petty Officer Mendez, escort them to the mess hall, feed them and get them to bed."

"Trainees, fall out!" The man, now known as Mendez commanded. They all got up and walked.

-End flashback-

"Arc! Arc!" Some yelled. Jaune was shook out his thoughts by his teammate.

"Sorry Kelly, lost in my thoughts." Jaune said.

"What's going on in that head of yours?" She asked.

"Remembering our first day on Reach. In the program." Jaune said. The both chuckled at that.

"Yeah, we all remember that day." Kelly said.

"What day?" Another spartan said.

"Our first day Jorge. As trainees." Jaune said.

"Ha, I remember that. John does too." Jorge said.

"Yeah, cost half of the class our dinner." Jaune said, chuckling.

"Yeah, we were all pissed." Kelly said, smiling.

"At least he made it up to us." Jaune said.

"Yeah, he did. Made sure all of us made it back on our first solo assignment." Jorge said.

"You mean the one where we ambushed those poor marines? Where he was the last one on the pelican?" Kelly asked.

"Yup. Nice calls by the way." Jaune grinned.

"Ha, ha smartass." Kelly said. Everyone simply laughed.

"What are you all laughing at?" The final member of the team asked.

"Kelly's owl calls." Jaune said.

"Oh, that. Heh. I remember that." He said.

"Yeah, Mendez nearly had your ass after that mission John." Kelly said.

"Nearly, Halsey vouched for me." John said.

"Yeah, she wasn't wrong in her decision either. You're hell of a leader." Jaune said.

"You're not bad yourself Arc. Though, right now, we have several covenant patrols in the town." John said.

"Alright, what's the plan?" Kelly asked.

"Most of the buildings were either rubble or in flames, so best bet is we walk into the city." John said.

"That's it? No special moves or anything?" Jorge asked.

"No, they know we're here, and they will be hunting us. The sooner we find cover, the better." John said.

"Alright, I'm in." Jaune said. The four spartans moved forward. Jaune had his DMR while John and Jorge had assault rifles and Kelly had a shotgun. Jorge would've been using a turret MG, but was forced to leave it during their last firefight, so he simply grabbed an assault rifle off a fallen marine. Moving into the town, they passed a public garage, where they could hear several grunts on the first floor, and several more and an elite on the second floor.

After clearing out the garage, they could could see the city, most of it was in flames, with the northern section of the city having been hit by the remains of a covenant, now classified CSS Class Battlecruiser. It's remains were covered in scorch marks caused by entry into the atmosphere. There were also lots of holes in the hull, most having some amount of purple flames coming out of the them. In the skies, covenant banshees dominated the air, with the occasional phantom as well.

"Fresh kill from the fleet." Jorge said.

"Yeah, though how many other ships were downed by this one?" Jaune asked.

"Let's get moving. John said.

"We'll head to that tower, seems mostly stable and not in flames." John said.

"Yeah, might be crawling with covies though." Jorge said.

"Then we simply clear them out." Jaune said. After moving towards the tower, it was clear that a firefight had occurred there.

"No, Kelly, move ahead and scout out the tower." John said.

"You got it." Kelly said.

"Hey John, there's not any UNSC assets in this area, are there?" Jaune asked.

"I don't think so, there may have been in some pelicans flying overhead." John said.

"That would explain the covenant activity then." Jorge said.

"It would." A new voice said behind them. Kelly.

"Kelly, nice of you to join us." John said.

"Someone has to watch you boys." Kelly teased.

"See anything unusual?" Jorge asked.

"Aside from covenant troops around their ship, no, nothing. They're pulling back to the ship." Kelly said.

"How much you guys wanna bet they know we're in the city?" Jaune asked.

"That hasn't stopped them before though." Jorge said.

"Maybe, their command leadership is down or incapacitated or something." Kelly suggested.

"Regardless, catch up on some rest, we move out at 0735." John said.

"Seven hours from now. Who has first watch?" Jaune asked.

"I think you just volunteered yourself." Jorge said.

"Alright, see you in two hours Jorge." Jaune said.

-Six hours later-

"Find the humans!" A low growly voice barked.

"Sounds like hunter-killer teams." Kelly said.

"Yup, we need to get to moving. Get Jaune and Jorge up."

"We're up. Not exactly easy to sleep with that outside." Jorge said.

"How long have they been at it?" John asked.

"All night. Though I think they're looking for marines or ODSTs." Jaune said.

"Just another night in Gandvik, starting to freeze over." Kelly joked. Jaune looked over and saw a marine, 'sergeant, but no name.' He was holding a picture. Him, and his three children. Good luck dad, bring honor to the Hafner family! Wait, is that a bear in the picture?

'I'll get this home to them. I promise.' Jaune thought.

"What you got there?" Jorge asked, from behind.

"A picture of a family, gonna get it back to them." Jaune said.

"Heh, well not gonna stop you there. They deserve to know. Any idea where they could live?" Jorge asked.

"Well, it looks like they live in a icey area, so not much to work on." Jaune said.

"Well, at least it's something."

"Come on guys, we gotta move." Kelly said.

"So, what's the plan John?" Jaune asked.

"Simple, we look for holes in their lines and push through." John said.

"Sounds simple enough." Jorge said.

"Well, what are we sitting around for then? We got covenant to kill." Jaune said. Jaune was the first one out the building, several grunts were to his left, under a street lamp. Jorge was the next one out, watching his right. John was next out, moving to the other side of the street, then followed by Kelly.

"What's the plan?" Jaune whispered.

"Where are the elites?" John asked, silently.

"No idea. Only saw those two." Jaune answered.

"Five more, coming in on our flank." Jorge whispered.

"Alley, on me." Kelly said.

"Into the alley, quietly." John said. Kelly was the first in, followed by Jorge, John, then Jaune. Jaune quietly closed the gate behind them. The rest of the team was on the other side of the alley when Jaune heard something. Raising his DMR, he closed on the sound. "I'm hearing something back here, permission to investigate."

"Permission granted Arc, stay safe. Meet us on the other end of the street to the west." John said.

"Copy." Jaune said. He entered what looked like an electronics shop. There was still a surprising amount of stuff still there. However, he wasn't alone. He heard a sound, a jackal, at least two. Slowly moving closer, he saw them. They were charging their weapons and wrist shields. He closed on them before striking. He pulled out his knife, and quickly stabbed one of the jackals. He left the knife in it's neck and grabbed the other jackal quickly snapping it's neck.

"Jackals neutralized." Jaune said.

"Copy that. We're halfway down the street. Shit! Elite patrol, stay outta sight." John warned.

Jaune didn't bother to respond. He simply grabbed his knife and one of the plasma pistols and a wrist shield. Finding a secluded area, he attempted to activate it. After a minute of messing with it, he got it to activate, the shield activates and covers his torso and the lower section of his head, The plasma pistol was fully charged. He quickly deactivated the shield and slowly creeped out of the building. Poking his head out the door, he saw the patrol of elites. One major and five minors. Too many to take on, even with his new toys. So he took no chances, he slowly moved back through the electronics shop, and to the next building.

'Gun store?' The UNSC allowed private citizens to own certain weapons in the outer colonies to protect them against pirates and insurrectionists. They were also allowed non-lethal weapons such as tasers or pepper spray. This store was one of the few that sold lethal weapons. Mostly likely for game hunting, if the deer heads were any indication. However, his DMR was simply used to high of a caliber, a 50 cal, compared to guns in the shop used .45 and .308. Slowly moving through, he saw the edge of the street, and the elite patrol.

"I'm at the edge of the street, in store. Where are you three?" Jaune asked.

"Other side of the street inside a building. Do you have eyes on us?" John asked.

Jaune carefully looked around in the building on the other side of the street for the rest of his team. He switched over to night vision to look further in, he sees Jorge. "I see Jorge." He answered.

"Understood. Is the patrol still there?" John asked.

"Affirmative. They stopped at the intersection." Jaune said. Looking around, he saw several more elites join them. Then a group of at least twenty grunts led by an elite. They started talking their native language. "Several more elites just joined the patrol and a patrol of at least twenty grunts are there as well. They're talking about something." Jaune said.

"Too many to take on all at once, hold your position." John said. Jaune didn't even bother to answer them.

"Is there anyway around this mess?" Jorge asked.

"No idea. Anybody have a map?" John asked.

"Negative." Kelly answered.

"Nothing over here." Jaune answered.

"Same here." Jorge said.

"Shit."John said.

"Ok, where would I put a map of the city?" Jaune asked.

"Near a major residential or commercial center." Kelly answered.

"Ok, where's the nearest one?" Jorge asked. Silence answered him.

"I see a problem with this plan." Kelly said. Just then the two patrols split up. One going down the street where Blue team just came from and the other going down the street they just came from.

"The patrols are moving out. The elites are moving down the street we just came from, the grunt patrol are going down the to our east, over." Jaune said.

"Understood. Hold position." John said. After waiting a few minutes, the patrols were out of sight.

"We're clear." Jorge said.

"Regroup on us Arc." John said.

"Roger." He quickly ran over to the other side of the street to the rest of the team.

"What'd you got?" Kelly asked, noticing Jaune's new toys.

"Plasma pistol and a jackal wrist shield." Jaune said. Jorge simply whistled.

"Nice catch Jaune. Any others?" Jorge asked.

"The other ones were depleted. Caught them charging their gear." Jaune said.

"Let's get moving Blue team." John said. The four spartans slowly moved through the city, looking for the quickest way out. While moving through, they found a section from the space elevator that was connected to the capital. Just one ring out of many, resting in the middle of the city.

"Found something." Jorge called out. "Looks like a map of the city." The city was shaped by a large, capitalized b. The northern section was an industrial area, though not yet completed. The westernmost side of the city was a residential area that moved down to the southernmost section of the city. And finally, a commercial section that made the middle third of the city. Between the commercial and residential zones was a river that moved from the east to the north in a large L.

"The northern part was wiped out by the downed ship, and the western part got hit hard by one of the space tethers support rings." John said.

"Good thing we're moving south then." Jaune said.

"Yeah, but over a bridge. How many covenant are gonna be on it?" Kelly asked.

"Plenty, if they're determined to find us." Jaune said.

"Question is: how determined are they?" John asked.

"I think we should get the hell out of this city. The sooner, the better." Jorge said.

"Agreed. Let's move." John said.

"So how far do we have to go?" Kelly asked.

"In total? About half a klick (A/N for those that don't know, 1 klick is 1 kilometer)." John said.

"Well, let's not waste anytime then." Jaune said.

The team of spartans slowly moved through the city moving through the buildings and alleys to avoid patrols. When they got to the bridge, the sun was just starting to raise over the horizon. Using the shadows for cover, they reached the river.

"Ok, of the two bridges, one is down and the other looks really sketchy." Kelly said.

"Anyone care for a swim?" Jorge joked.

"How sketchy Kelly?" John asked.

"Weeeell. Looks like something happened there. Maybe a firefight, or something crashed there. If the downed phantom is to go by." Kelly said.

"That all?" John asked.

"Nope. Looks like it's snuggled nicely into one the columns under the bridge. Don't know how an extra 2 tons will do to it. That and fire damage it all over the bridge." Kelly said.

"I have eyes on the bridge. She's not wrong." Jaune said. "Which side are you seeing Kelly, left or right?"

"Left."

"I have eyes on right, looks like it's still intact. Might hold our weight." Jaune said.

"Alright, Jorge, you and I are going first. Arc and Kelly watch our flank." John said.

"Copy that." Jorge said.

"Acknowledged." Kelly said.

"We got your backs." Jaune said.

Slowly, John and Jorge crossed the bridge. Though it groaned a little it held.

"Won't lie, scariest 200 yards yet." Jorge said.

"Alright, Kelly regroup on Arc and on his go you two cross." John said.

"Copy." A minute later Kelly came down in front of Jaune. "Ready?"

"Ladies first." Jaune said. Slowly, Kelly and Jaune followed the path John and Jorge took. They then regrouped by destroyed wraith.

"Ok, it's official, there was someone else here before us." Jaune said.

"I was thinking the same thing. Unless we did more damage when came through here." Jorge said.

"We came in from the east, and we haven't been on this side of the river." Kelly said.

"Alright." Jorge said.

"Let's get moving. I want us to be there before the covenant decide to attack the forward operating point in Vigrond." John said.

"It's at least another 20 to 25 klicks to our south." Jorge said.

"So the sooner we get out of this city, the better." Jaune said.

"I agree." Kelly said. The team moved out. Picking up the pace out of the city. Not before long, the team was on the outskirts of the city.

"Alright team, double time to Vigrond." John said. The four spartans started running. Most of the distance between the two cities was mostly forest, that moved over hilly terrain and broken up by creeks and streams.

-Three hours later, outskirts of Vigrond-

When the spartans crossed of a hill, they saw the city and noticed something: fresh fires. The covenant had got there first. The city was, while mostly covered in rubble, still had several intact two and/or three story buildings still intact. In the center of the city was the UNSC FOB the spartans were trying to reach.

"Spartans?! Thank god you're here. Colonel McAnderson wants a word with you." A marine yells to the spartans. Moving through the city, the spartans could see the extend of the defences: at every other intersection was a road block with MGs and rockets. Driving around, patrols of mongooses and warthogs with MGs. Around the FOB was a wall of sandbags about ten feet high and at least three feet thick. Though upon closer examination, it's actually a layer of sandbags, then massive plastic tubs of water, then another layer of sandbags. Inside the FOB was a field hospital, an armory and a mess hall. At the very center was the command center with communications access with the fleet currently fighting it out in orbit. "Colonel, the spartans are here."

"Spartans? What are you doing out here?" Colonel McAnderson asked. He was a built man around 6 feet tall and with a standard UNSC marine officer's uniform on.

"We landed at Alpha point 12 months ago sir. We're ready to assist. Master Chief Petty Officer Sierra-117. Petty Officer First Class Sierra-087, Warrant Officer Sierra-052, and Petty Officer First Class Sierra-034." John said.

"I didn't ask about your mission Master Chief, I'm just thankful I have some more manpower." McAnderson then gestured over to a holotable at the center of the command center. "The covenant made a determined assault from the east about ten minutes ago. We held but barely. I want you four to head to forward defenses there and link up Captain Roosa and provide any assistance you can, but make no mistake, we cannot hold that line. If my marines start pulling back, you assist them. Understood?"

"Yes sir!" The four spartans said.

"Good. Dismissed." McAnderson said, giving the spartans a salute with Blue team giving one in return before leaving. The quickly ran to the front line. Running there, they ran past scores of marines covered either in bandages or some kind of cloth, or even in a body bag. Eventually, they found a marine who was giving orders, he had the bars of a captain.

"Captain Roosa?" John asked. The man in question turned to see the four spartans, his mood seemed to lift, as did other marines.

"Sierra-117, McAnderson gave me a heads up, we could use the help. I'm down to 150 men. I had three times that number about twenty minutes ago. You missed the first attack, that was ten minutes ago. I've got no armor or air cover." The captain started walking while giving an indication for the spartans to follow. "When we landed, our orders were to land in the capital city. But the whole god damn city's gone!" When they got to where they were going, it was an observation tower. In the distance, what was once a lively city, was nothing but wasteland. The ground was glass, the hills that were around the city flattened with the city. What wasn't glass was firebombed by the intense heat of the plasma.

"What happened to the city?" Jorge asked.

"ONI calls it 'glassing'. Orbital plasma bombardment. We're lucky they didn't move this way." Roosa said. Just then his radio went off.

"We got incoming! 100 meters out!"

"It's the second wave!" Rossa yelled into his radio before turning to the spartans. "I need you four now!" The four spartans quickly ran out of the tower before running to the front. When they got there sandbags were assembled in the road, with lines of rubble guarding the flanks.

"Spartans! Separate yourselves as you see fit!" A marine yells.

"Alright, Jorge, find a HMG that's not gonna be missed, Arc, find some middle ground, I'm gonna get us tuned in to these marines comms then fight in the street. Kelly, run interference, harass anything that gets inside the defenses" John said.

"Copy that." Jaune said. He didn't stay around to hear Jorge and Kelly's response, he saw the best spot was gonna be the remains of a three story apartment complex. Quickly running up the stairs he ran past several marines before he reached a collapsed room where he got roof access. He crouched behind an air conditioning unit.

In front of him, collums of grunts and jackals were gonna be in the first attack wave. Followed by elites and more jackals. The final attack wave was armor and more elites. "Chief here, we're in their comm system."

"Captain Roosa can you hear me?" Jaune radioed.

"I hear ya spartan, what didda got?"

"I got eyes on the attack waves. First wave gonna be grunts and jackals, followed by elites and jackals, and a final wave of armor and elites, over." Jaune said.

"They threw the same stuff at us last time, but I appreciate the heads up." Captain Roosa said. "All units, fire at will" Soon after that order, the whole line lit up with tracer fire. Jaune picked his targets, then fired. He tried targeting commanders, however, grunts don't appear to have a dedicated command structure, not like the elites. So he just fired on the closest enemies.

Knock, knock. "Friendlies! Hold your fire!" A female marine yells. Jaune looks behind him to see said marine with a box of ammo.

"One of my guys saw you coming here with a DMR and my DMR guy got his head blown off, you're gonna need these more than us."

"Copy that, Sierra-034." Jaune said.

"We'll be downstairs if you need us." She says before running off. He goes back to his scopes to see the attack wiped out.

"We got second wave incoming! Hold your ground!" Captain Rossa yells over the radio.

The second wave comes in led by elites. Just as about a dozen cross the line of woods outside the city, several go down instantly from sniper fire.

"We got a breach! Sector Foxtrot Four!" A female marine yells.

"Sierra-052, with me." John yells.

"Right behind ya Chief" Jorge responds. Below him, Jaune can see several squads of elites firing on marines below him Training his rifle down, starts firing on the elites from above. Just as several look up to fire at him, a grenade explodes killing several and removing the shields of the rest. Jaune quickly headshot the remaining covenant that weren't gunned down by the marines.

"Thanks for the assist up there! We're oscar mike to the building to your left." A male marine yells over the radio. Jaune quickly fires on several jackals trying to climb the building on his right. Without any protection, they're quickly killed. He quickly reloads then fires on more jackals climbing over the sandbag wall. Just before he fires on a group of elites about to climb the sandbag wall, HMG fire tears into them, draining them of shields, allowing him and another shooter to finish them off.

Then the wraiths open fire. Large blobs of purple plasma lob overhead and onto what was left of the defenders on the sandbag wall.

"Third wave is pushing forward!" Jaune quickly fires on to several of the gunners on the wraiths, drawing their attention to his building.

"Sierra-034, we got elites storming below us!" The marine from earlier yelled.

"We're about to have wraith problems here in a second. I'm on my way down." Jaune said, running back the way he came, just as a blob of plasma lands right where he was, collapsing the roof section. Jaune runs into a room he saw had marines in it before he ran up. They were still alive.

"Marines, let's get downstairs." Jaune said.

"Copy that spartan, we're right behind you." A male marine responds. The seven of them quickly go down to the second floor, where they find the rest of the marines fighting off elites.

"Grenade!" Someone yells before several of the elites explode.

"We need to get out this building and to the second line!" The commander of the marines. "Spartan, we'll get moving, are you coming with us?"

"I have no where else to be sir." Jaune said.

"Good. Ruiz, Jackson, go with the spartan and find a route out. The shorter, the better. The rest of us, we're going down to the lobby downstairs. Now move!" The lieutenant, by his bars, commands.

Jaune and the two marines, each with an assault rifle, move downstairs, they enter an area that was under construction.

"Any ideas?" A marine asks."

"Nope, nothing Jackson. What about you spartan?" The marine asks.

"Are there any metros in this area, or any sewers?" Jaune asks.

"No metros that we know of, but there might be a sewer access around here somewhere." Jackson asked.

"Then let's find it." Jaune said. After a few minutes of looking, one of the marines found it.

"Found one sir!" Jackson yelled out, just before he exploded followed by purple crystals flying in all directions

"We got contacts!" Ruiz yelled.

"Find some cover and open fire!" Jaune commanded. The marine crouched behind some piled up bricks while Jaune leaned up against a concrete pillar. Plasma and larger purple crystals started impacting the area around them.

"Spartan! What's your status?" The marine lieutenant asked.

"In a firefight sir. We found a sewer access next to a building under construction, one block away.! Over!" Jaune yelled.

"Copy that! We're on our way towards you!"

"Copy that. Ruiz, what's your status on ammo?" Jaune asked.

"I've still got plenty sir! Two grenades!" Ruiz yelled back. Jaune pulled out one of his.

"After my grenade explodes, throw yours." Ruiz simply nodded and pulled out one of his grenades. Jaune pulls the pin on his grenade then throws his grenade. About a second after he throws it, it explodes. The marine, wasting no time, throws his grenade, quickly followed by an explosion and the sounds of elites and grunts dying. Jaune pokes his head and DMR around and fires on the last remaining grunts while the last elite is killed by the marine.

Then the chain link fence behind them destroyed by a plasma blob, allowing several more grunts to flank them. Ruiz takes a needle to the leg, causing him to go down, screaming in pain. However the few grunts that did come through were quickly killed. Jaune then quickly ran over to Ruiz.

"Will I be ok spartan?" The marine asks, through gasps of air.

"You'll be fine marine, just stay with me." Jaune said. "Lieutenant, Jackson's dead and Ruiz is injured, over?"

"We're right here spartan. Corpsman, take a look at him." The lieutenant then looks at the manhole. "This our way out?"

"Yes sir." Jaune said.

"Well, let's not waste any time then, everyone down the hole. Spartan you watch our backs." The lieutenant said. Slowly, the marines started going down the hole, the first few taking Ruiz with them. Eventually, it was just Jaune up top. He started making his way down, moving the manhole cover when he was in.

"Alright LT, what's the plan?" A female marine asks.

"Alright, Joda, Hermann, stay with Ruiz, spartan, you're up front, the rest of us will watch our flank. And here, take this." The lieutenant throws Jaune an assault rifle. "It's gonna be better down here than that DMR." Jaune simply nodded and took point. Moving slowly, he crept through the sewer, listening for any contacts that may show up. He also had his nightvision activated, allowing him maneuver through the dark.

Bang! Bang!

Jaune stopped dead in his tracks, listening for anymore sounds that was coming for the sewers. The next Jaune knows, his instincts are kicking in and he's diving away from an energy sword. The elite in question yells something, and three more energy swords activate, closing in on him. Jaune quickly throws a grenade at the elites draining their shields. He then open fires on the elites. One was quickly killed, while the others dived for cover. Jaune quickly got up and ran over for any available cover. After crouching behind some pipes, he quickly fires on one of the remaining elites, killing one and forcing the other two pull back. Behind him, several marines join him.

"Watch your corners, we got elites with energy swords" Jaune warned. One the marines got to his left and another to his right, with the remaining two watching their backs. One of the marines must've seen something, cause he opened fired into the darkness. The bullets contacted the elites energy shields causing him to glow allowing the rest of the marines to fire and kill him.

"Nice shooting marines, now let's find that last elite." Jaune said. The marines appeared to perk up from the spartans comment, along with new found determination. They moved very slowly, both Jaune and the marines had their night vision turned on. Jaune spots the remaining elite and fires on him, downing his shields. The marines aren't slow to respond and fire on the elite. However, the elite had a plasma rifle, so when the marines fired on him, he fired back. The marines dove for cover, however one was hit and his body slumped down to the concrete floor.

"Mason's down!" One of the other marines yelled. Jaune grinded his teeth together and charged the elite. Since the elites shields were down, Jaune went to kill him with his knife, which he did. Jaune grabbed the elite's left arm, turning him to his right while slashing his throat with his knife. He knew he hit the elite when purple blood gushed out of the elite's neck.

After making Jaune sure the area was clear, he turned to the marines. "You" He said pointing at a female marine. "Stay here with, him." She saluted him, and moved to an area near the fallen marine. "The rest of us, let's move out."

"Anybody know when we're supposed to go back up?" One of the marines asked after a few more minutes.

"One more intersection, then go up a ladder." Another marine said.

"We're here." Jaune said. "I'll head up first, keep our street access secure."

"Copy that, we'll be down here sir." One of the marines said. When Jaune reached the surface, he saw they were behind the line.

"Spartan! What are you doing down there?" Jaune turned around to see Captain Roosa.

"I was helping a squad move through the sewers." Jaune said, standing on the ground and standing to attention.

"Where are they know?" Captain Roosa asked.

"Right here sir." The lieutenant said behind Jaune.

"Lieutenant Price, nice to see alive. What's your strength?" Captain Roosa asked.

"About thirty men, six dead and twelve injured." Lieutenant Price answered.

"Alright. Spartan, Master Chief is regrouping his team a block from here, Lieutenant Price, get your men above ground and rally on the building to our left. I'll have men come to take the dead and wounded." Captain Roosa said.

Both of them saluted and Jaune ran off to find the rest of Blue team. After a minute of running, he found them.

"Where were you Arc?" John asked.

"Went underground, helped marines get behind the lines." Jaune answered.

"Well done. The first line has been completely overrun and everyone has been ordered to hold the second line." John said.

"Well let's get to work then." Jorge said.

The spartans moved out, Jaune finding an elevated position while John and Jorge were below him. John with his assault rifle and Jorge with an HMG. Kelly had ran off somewhere further up the line. Jaune found yet another patch of high ground, this time a large pile of rubble with some cover on top. Jaune quickly saw several wraiths simply erased by missile fire, killing at least a dozen elites with them. Below him, Jorge started firing on elite and jackals in front of Jaune. To his right, Jaune could barely see Kelly running inside covenant lines, confusing and splitting units in an effort to find her.

Jaune quickly took aim on a group of grunts and just as quickly killed them all.

'Reload'

Jaune then took aim at a group of elites that Jorge was firing on. He fired on the elites with no shields, letting Jorge down the elite's shields. John then started firing on several elites below Jaune.

"Arc! Do you see the elites below you?" John asked via radio. Jaune looked over the edge, only to have plasma bolts greet him. The fire continued, the covenant troops hoping to hit the unfortunate human or humans above them.

"Too much fire, can't get a clear shot!" Jaune said back.

"Copy that. You got jackals near you!" John shouted. Jaune didn't even have time to respond, at least five jackals climbed over the edge to his right. He quickly rolled to another set of debris while grabbing his assault rifle. He fired on the last jackal up, catching him without his wrist shield active. The remaining jackals fired on Jaune, forcing him to take cover. Jaune pulled his last grenade and magnum. He threw the grenade at a wall behind the jackals causing it to bounce into the middle of the jackals. Two of them saw Jaune through the grenade and dived out of the way and other two didn't see the grenade, so when it exploded, it killed them. Jaune quickly stood up and killed the two prone jackals before they could get back up.

"Jackals down." Jaune said over the radio.

"Nice work Spartan, the covenant are in full retreat and we held the line." Colonel McAnderson said over the radio. Jaune then jumped down to where Jorge and John were.

"So what's the plan now John?" Jaune asked.

"We hold here with marines. We go where they go." John said.

"Sounds fine to me. Better to keep these men and women alive. Tired of being out here alone." Jorge said from behind Jaune.

"Agreed. Some new faces will be nice." Kelly agreed.

"Spartans, get back to command center." Colonel McAnderson said.

"Let's get going Blue team." John said. The four spartans quickly ran back to the command center, ignoring the looks of hope from the marines. When they walked in, they were greeted by a hologram of Fleet Admiral Preston Cole. When the Admiral looked at the spartans, they saluted him.

"Spartans, glad to see you're still with us. I've got news. No major fleet details, but you're being supplied. New armor right out of the factories, as well as new gear. However, one of you is being reassigned up here. Sierra-087, that'll be you." Admiral Cole said.

"How long till the fleet gets here?" John asked.

"We just entered slipspace to a nearby star system, the reinforcing fleet is another week out." Admiral Cole replied.

"Understood Admiral, we'll be holding here." John said.

"One other thing, McAnderson, ONI wants to know when you're gonna retake the capital."

"I would try to retake it," He then put a holomap of the city of Utgard. "But the covenant glassed it, there's nothing there to take." McAnderson replied. Cole just sighed.

"I was afraid of that. What's your current location?" Cole asked.

"We are here, in the city of Vigrond, we have established a forward operating base there. We just repelled two covenant assaults. I don't know how long we'll be here." McAnderson said.

"Alright, I'll be back as soon as we can. Cole out." The hologram of Cole then disappeared.

McAnderson then turned to the spartans. "I need scouts, which is your best?" Kelly simply raised her hand. "I need you to recon this location to our west." The holotable then changed to a hilly area with a small village surrounded in forest and creeks. "I haven't been able to recon this area since we arrived. While we have no armor, we have heavy artillery, this area is about 500 feet above us. It's the highest ground around here."

"Understood sir." Kelly replied.

"There's a quartermaster here, next to the barracks, get resupplied then head out." Kelly saluted then left. "Sierra-052, I want to head to a defensive tower near on the west line, your HMG is best suited there. Master Chief, you'll stay with me, I could use another officer in here. Sierra-034, find high ground on the western and dig in." The three remaining spartans saluted, then went to their jobs.

"Isn't it odd that McAnderson would want John in his command staff?" Jorge asked.

"Yeah it is, I thought ONI wouldn't allow that?" Jaune asked.

"Well, I haven't seen any ONI operatives, so, he can get away with it?" Jorge said, though he was unsure.

"Maybe, not our asses on the line." Jaune said, Jorge couldn't help but chuckle.

"You right. Good luck out there." Jorge said.

"Good luck up there." The two spartans shared a laugh, then headed off in different directions. Jaune then found an intact three story building. On the street, there was no indication that there was war here, it was strange. No destroyed cars or military vehicles, no blood stains on the ground or even debris on the ground. The only indication of war would be the destroyed buildings around the street.

When Jaune entered the building, it was a warehouse for sure, tall shelves, which some still had crates on them. Jaune entered an office area, looking for a way up the building. Eventually, his persistence paid off, a maintenance ladder that led to the roof was found and he started to climb. After he got to the roof, he saw there was a pelican landing site. He continued to look around the roof for a good firing position, eventually, he decided on an area that had two air conditioners on two sides. With some sandbags, this could be a great firing position. The rest of Jaune's day was sending a request for sandbags, a sniper rifle and ammo, then setting them up when they finally arrived.

"Audio log time stamp 1622 hours, date 03-28-2525. We arrived in Vigrond around five hours ago, we missed the first covenant attack, but got here in time to help repel the second assault, I don't think the covenant were expecting some spartans here, so they had a surprisingly smaller force. Fleet Admiral Preston Cole left the system earlier this afternoon, he said that a reinforcing fleet is one week out. I think we need leave and distract the covenant, but these marines need our help. I'm just happy they dug in here. We're in relatively friendly territory and know the terrain better than them. But the covenant, they know how to hide their armies better than us. Kelly is out on recon while Jorge and I are on the western front. John is in Colonel McAnderson's command staff, much to our surprise, whether or not this is a wise move is yet to be determined.

Right now, I'm currently dug in on the top of a three story warehouse, snuggled in between two air conditioner units with the middle having a line of sandbags. When the next attack wave comes, I'm gonna put my sniping skills to the test. For now though, some r and r. Been thinking about Reach, and Remnant, at least I think that my birthworld's name. Reach is my homeworld now, not Remnant, though, can I blame them?

My most clear memory from Remnant is of a woman with waist long black hair with a sword and mask of some kind. She keep talking about a daughter? It gets faded there. I remember her giving me some sword training with my father and eldest sister. She was tough but, it was worth it in my opinion.

Anyway, not much else to talk about, most of us are just preparing ourselves for the next assault, and there's not a whole lot we can do to stop that, just dig in and prepare for the worst.


	2. Liberation

**Hey guys, so I completely forgot to put this in before I posted this chapter, shame on me! Anyways, I wanted to answer some questions.**

 **HolyKnight5: First: Jaune replaces Sam in this. Since Jaune didn't die over Chi Ceti, he contiunes to fight with Blue team. Why Blue team is on Harvest, why not? As for how Jaune gets to Remnant, that you will have to wait and see.**

 **Also, some of the ideas from my orginial Spartan Fall will show themselves in this story along with new ideas. I also need some help, I need the personallity and semblance of Jean Arc, twin of Jaune Arc and his replacement as the leader of Team JNPR. So yes! Enjoy!**

"Character Dialogue"

'Character Thoughts'

" _Radio Chatter"_

-The next morning-

Jaune opened his eyes again for what seemed like the tenth time in the last hour. Sighing he defeat, he got off the ground he was laying on.

" _You awake Arc?"_

"I'm awake Kelly, whaddya need?"

" _I saw some movement about 10 meters into the tree line."_

Jaune aimed with his DMR at the tree line. "Let's take a look." He scanned the tree line for about five minutes before he saw something. Unfortunately, his hands were tied. Colonel McAnderson had given an order that unless you were in a firefight, do not fire on any covenant troops. This order also went to the snipers and marksmen of the ground troops. Jaune could only sigh and report it.

"I saw them Kelly and reported it, but my hands are tied." Jaune said.

" _Damn shame. I'm almost at the perimeter, hold your fire."_ Kelly said over the whole battlenet.

" _Copy that Sierra, we see you. You're clear to move."_ A marine said. Jaune looked over to his right, seeing Kelly run across the fields between the forest that surrounded the city and the city itself.

-Command Center, five minutes later.-

"What'd you find spartan?" McAnderson asked.

"I found your scouts," Kelly pulled out about a dozen dog tags. McAnderson simply closed his eyes and exhaled. "Inside the town, not as empty as you thought. Covenant have several methane storage tanks and production buildings there. There's also several charging stations for their weapons. Planted some charges on them, you can detonate them whenever you want." Kelly said, handing the colonel a detonator.

"Good work spartan. What about numbers?"

"I'd say, around one to two hundred at most." Kelly said.

"Master Chief, I've got a new mission for you and your team. Within the next two days, attack and secure the village."

"Yes sir." John replied.

"You're both dismissed." The two spartans saluted the colonel and went back to what they were or gonna do. About five minutes later, Kelly came up to see Jaune, currently, he was aiming down his DMR's scope.

"Anything new?" She asked.

"Not really." He said, putting down the rifle. They both took off their helmets. "Same old shit really."

"Glad to see that hasn't changed. Thinking about anything special?" Kelly teased. Jaune only smirked.

"Yea, Remnant." Jaune said, losing the smirk.

"Remnant? Your birth planet, right?" Jaune rarely ever talked about, let alone even remotely mention it.

"Yeah. I wonder if they're gonna be hit." Jaune said. Kelly sat down next to him.

"Why is that?"

"That don't deserve this, any of this. Shit, if ONI hadn't found it, I wonder what I would be doing right now."

"Nothing productive." Jaune simply looked at Kelly.

"Oh haha smartass. Seriously though, what about you, anything new?" Jaune asked.

"I found a large force the village I reconed, McAnderson gonna have Blue team clear it out."

"So, we got the hunt then. Does Jorge know?"

"Yup, told him before I came here." Lies.

"Did you though?"

"Hey Jorge, we're going hunting soon."

" _How soon?"_

"Next few days."

" _I'll be ready then."_

"See, I told Jorge." They both started laughing.

"Ok, you just did that." Jaune said between chuckles.

"No I didn't" Kelly said grinning. Jaune pinching the bridge of his nose, but smiling.

"Don't ever change Kelly." Kelly burst out into laughter at his comment.

"No promises." Kelly replied.

"How do you think things are in space?" Jaune asked.

"Honestly, the fact that Admiral Cole had to leave, not to well." Kelly said.

"Well, hopefully he can open a corridor to allow supplies and our new gear to get down here." Jaune said.

"You don't think he can gain total control of orbit?" Kelly asked.

"Please, he's a damn good fleet admiral, but he doesn't have the ships to take Harvest's orbit. All the heavy hitters are around Earth and Reach. I'm surprised they let him have the Everest in the first place." Jaune exclaimed.

"Hey, he works with what he gets, but I agree, if he had more heavy cruisers he might be able to hold more systems." Kelly said, Jaune simply shook his head.

"Sun Tzu said if you defend everything, you defend nothing. Cole knows this." Jaune said.

"How and why did we take this, this far?" Kelly asked.

"Does it hurt to talk about the Art of War?" Jaune asked back.

"Well, seeing how we are in a war, with the stakes our species survival, no, not really." Kelly replied.

"Well, the stakes are what makes things interesting." Jaune said.

" _What about stakes now?"_ Jorge asked over the radio.

"The stakes of this war." Jaune said.

" _Well, those are some major stakes. I just wonder about the families are torn apart. The people we couldn't save."_ Jorge said.

"We can't save everyone Jorge. Our job to keep as many alive as we can." Kelly said.

"Doesn't make it any easier when we lose people though." Jaune said.

" _I know the pain. I was talking with Jerome before we landed on Reach, he talked about they couldn't save a civilian convoy on Jericho 3, thirty thousand that were lost."_ Jorge somberly said.

"Thirty thousand people that won't see the next day." Jaune said.

"Hey, let's think about those we can save, like these marines." Kelly said.

" _Yeah, McAnderson's sending us up the village will keep them alive another day."_ Jorge said.

"For how long though?" Jaune asked.

"As long as they can. Just remember, better us take the hits rather than these marines." Kelly said.

"Changing subject, what do you think we'll find at the village Kelly?" Jaune asked.

"Areas to forested for armor to move through, so likely a heavy infantry presence." Kelly said.

" _We'll deal with them all the same. What about numbers?"_ Jorge asked.

"A few hundred at most. Unless they flew armor in." Kelly replied.

" _Armor or no armor, we're taking the village"_ John added in.

" _Nice of you to join John."_ Jorge said.

"How long you've been listening to us?" Jaune asked.

" _Since you started talking, it gets boring in here."_ John said.

"What's he got you doing?" Kelly asked.

" _Coordinating logistics of the battalion's troops in and around the city."_ John replied.

"Sounds fun. Good luck with that by the way." Jaune said.

" _Screw you guys too. See you tomorrow."_ John said.

"See ya John. Anyone else got something to add?" Kelly asked.

"Nope, gotta get back to my watch." Jaune said, putting his helmet back on.

" _Same here, my rotation has started. See ya in a few hours."_ Jorge said.

"I'm gonna get some shut eye, wake me in four hours Arc." Kelly said.

"You got it." Jaune said. He then took aim at the tree again, this time just looking at the tree line.

About an hour passed before anything of note happened. Hearing a jet engine like sound, he looked behind him to see a longsword bomber in flames flying overhead, only to crash in the forest.

" _Uhh, colonel, did you see that?"_ A marine asked over the battlenet.

" _Affirmative, Sierra 034, take three men and recon crash site designated Delta-07. Find any survivors and bring them back. And keep it quiet."_ Colonel McAnderson said.

"Copy that, on my way." Jaune said. Jaune quickly ran off the roof and down the road, when he got to the defensive line, he saw about thirty marines and Jorge waiting for him.

"Jorge, stay on the wall, we may bring back some unwelcome visitors." Jorge simply nodded and manned an HMG. He then looked at the marines. "Who's the quietest here?" Four raised their hands.

"You four are going with me, you're gonna go half way through the field, stay low and help when we get back." The four marines saluted the spartan. He then looked at the sergeant in charge. "Sergeant, man these trenches and be ready to bleed the covenant." The sergeant just grinned.

"You heard the spartan ladies, into the trench!" Jaune and the four marines moved slowly into the field, moving through craters and taking cover behind wrecked covenant tanks and aircraft. Looking behind him, Jaune could see the fourth marine had taken cover under a downed covenant phantom. The remaining three were next to him, he gave a hand motion for the marines to move behind him. Jaune moved slowly to the edge of the forest.

Next to the downed longsword, several grunts were looking at the downed fighter.

"Sir, ONI symbol." One of the marines whispered. True to his word, an ONI symbol could be seen on the cargo hatch.

"Alright marines, this mission just changed, any intel in that longsword, we destroy if we can't take it with us. Search and rescue remains the same. Understood?" Jaune asked, the three marines nodded at the spartan. They slowly moved on the three grunts before killing them, quickly and quietly. When Jaune opened the hatch, he was greeted by several dead marines and an ONI agent. All were killed on impact. "Someone grab their tags and computers. I'll check the crates."

The marines went to work while Jaune opened the crates. The first two crates had ammo, helpful to the regiment. Jaune then opened the third one. 'Asymmetric Recoilless Carbine-900' When Jaune opened the crate he saw a weapon that shared the same shape of an assault rifle, though much bulker. The very middle from the trigger the end of the barrel is empty. Jaune took the rifle in his hands to get a feel for it. He noted that the weight was at least 10 kilos in weight. Seeing a digital manual, he downloads it into his neural link.

"Sir! Found something! This is a prototype, man-held railgun! You're holding a very small MAC cannon!" A marine exclaims.

"Damm. The colonel will want to know about this." Another marine says.

"Agreed." Jaune holstered the railgun and taking as much ammo as he can. "Alright, we're taking these crates with us. They're full of ammo and we need them more than these poor guys do. I can carry one, two of you, grab the other. The last one of you will watch our back. Also, someone set some the engines to self destruct." The three marines again nod and two of them grab the crate of ammo, while Jaune grabs the other. The last marine goes out first. Nearby, elites can be heard.

"Let's get moving." Jaune said. The three quickly moved through the field. About a minute into the field, the longsword exploded, killing all nearby covenant forces. The fourth marine got out of her hiding spot, giving more cover for the spartan and other two marines. When they got back to the trenches, they were greeted by Colonel McAnderson and John.

"Welcome back spartan. Got some gifts for us?" McAnderson asked.

"Yes sir, two crates of ammo and one prototype weapon." Jaune said.

"Prototype weapon?" John asked. Jaune pulled out the railgun.

"It seems like a man held MAC cannon." Jaune said.

"Are you serious?" McAnderson asked.

"Yes sir. I also what looked like a manual for it via my neural link." Jaune said.

"Any survivors?" McAnderson asked.

"None. Two dead marines and pilots, and one dead ONI agent. Killed on impact." Jaune replied.

"Well done. Alright! Let's get these crates back to the quartermaster!" McAnderson yelled while Jaune was pulled away by John.

"Is there anything you didn't tell him?" John asked.

"Yeah, one thing. Feel this thing." Jaune threw the railgun at John. John was clearly surprised by the weight.

"This thing is heavy. I don't think it was made for standard marines." John said.

"That's what I thought too. I'm gonna go through the manual later today, see what else ONI's got about this." Jaune said.

"I can't protect you if ONI wants your head when going through those files. Only go through anything relevant about this weapon." John said quietly.

"I understand. I'll be as careful as possible." Jaune said.

"That's all I'm asking." John said, handing back the railgun to Jaune. Jaune then headed back to the rooftop he's camped out on. When he got back, Kelly was still out like a rock. Jaune sat down and started going through the manual in neural link. Even though everything was stored in his brain, he didn't actually know the knowledge. Neural links were not nearly that advanced. Jaune grabbed his tact-pad and downloaded all files on the railgun onto it.

An hour passed before he finally was done reading the files. 'So recap: can down a banshee in one hit and one to the back of a wraith as well. Nice. Don't wanna be on the receiving end of this thing.' Jaune looked at his watch. 12:53. Harvest time. It was late afternoon. Jaune continued his watch for the next two hours till his timer went off. He went and woke Kelly up.

"Four hours already?" Kelly asked.

"Yup. Get up." Jaune said. Kelly did as instructed and got up.

"So, -yawn- what did I miss?" Kelly asked.

"Well, an ONI longsword crashed in the forest, I was ordered to go recover any survivors. Rather than survivors, I found a prototype weapon, a hand-held railgun." Jaune said, indicating to the rifle on the ground.

"A prototype, railgun? Goddamn it. I missed all the fun." Kelly whinned.

"Ehh, not all of it. At least we don't have an ONI agent running around." Jaune said. Kelly thought for a second.

"Good point." Kelly then got up. "I'm getting some grub, wanna join me?"

Jaune shrugged his shoulders, "Ehh, why not?" Jaune then got up and joined her. Down in the mess hall, Jaune and Kelly saw Jorge grabbing some grub as well.

"Jorge!" Kelly yelled out, Jorge turned to see them. After the three of them grabbed an MRE, they sat down on a concrete pillar in the street.

"Ever get around to reading that manual?" Jorge asked.

"Yup. First prototype of the weapon. Same power source as the spartan laser, but fires a 16mm x 65mm round at mach 7. Enough to destroy a banshee in one hit." Jaune said. Jorge could only whistle.

"Damn. I don't wanna be on the other end of it." Jorge said.

"Penetrating ability?" Kelly asked.

"Surprising weak. It's a flat projectile, not an armor piercing shape." Jaune said.

"Still, doesn't matter the shape when it's fired at 'soft' targets." Jorge saying.

"Oh yeah. It's gonna suck firing that thing though. Recoil and sound is gonna be a bitch." Kelly said.

"Yeah, didn't have much time think about that. I just finished reading before going back to my watch. So Jorge, anyone try following us in the field?" Jaune asked. Jorge only laughed.

"If only. I'm gonna give the covenant some credit here, they're not that stupid." Jorge said.

"Fair enough. Unless we piss them off enough." Jaune said.

"Well, they're gonna be pissed tomorrow." Kelly said.

"Yeah, no kidding." Jaune agreed.

"So how many artillery are left?" Kelly asked.

"Two batteries of two Fox artillery SPGs." Jorge said, surprising the other two spartans.

"Fox artillery? I thought they fazed those out in favor of the Rhino program." Jaune said.

"Nope. From what I've heard, they're moving to reintegrate Fox artillery units. Despite their looks, their surprising durable. They can take a few hits." Jorge said.

"What about the 440's?" Kelly asked.

"Those things? They're stupid expensive, stupid big, difficult to transport, and a bitch to build them and their ammunition. In short, their useless in this situation." Jorge said.

"Is there even any in rotation?" Kelly asked.

"As far as I know, only one regiment has them. And they're on Reach right now." Jorge said.

"How do you now this?" Jaune asked.

"They've been there for the last two decades, with no sign of moving." Jorge replied.

" _Blue team, report to the command center"_ A marine said over the battlenet.

"Well, let's not keep them waiting." Kelly said. When they got back to the command center, Colonel McAnderson was speaking to John and Captain Roosa about something.

"Reporting as ordered, sir." Jorge said. The three men faced the three spartans.

"Good." McAnderson motioned for all men there to look at the holotable. "Thanks to intelligence gathered by Sierra 087, we have a good estimate of the covenant's numbers in the village of Snarhind. At most, two hundred covenant troops with no armor support is stationed there. Along with several methane hold tanks and manufacturing plants there, as well as charging stations for the weapons and shields. Master Chief, you and your team will spearhead the assault into the village by moving through the village. We have three pelicans ready to ferry Captain Roosa's company of marines to help secure the village. Once that's done, you all will dig in and be ready to repeal covenant counter attacks. Once that's done, we will airlift the artillery batteries up to the village's central plaza. Any questions?"

"What kind of troops are we expecting?" Jaune asked.

"Elites, grunts, and jackals. No known hunter presence." McAnderson said.

""What about fixed positions?" Captain Roosa asked.

"Kelly?" John asked.

"There was several inactive sniper platforms, though by now, they're probably active." Kelly said.

"Do me a favor spartans: keep as many of those towers intact as you can. My marksmen will be very happy." Captain Roosa said.

"We can try. It's gonna make it more tedious to clear them out." Jaune said.

"Can it be done?" McAnderson asked. Jaune thought for a second.

"We can manage." Jaune said.

"Good. We attack at 0230 hours, Harvest time, tomorrow. God speed. Dismissed." McAnderson said. Everyone in the command center saluted the colonel, then left.

"Spartans!" Captain Roosa called out. "I know your task is difficult as is, but I'm asking you to prioritize any and all anti-air guns. The sooner they're destroyed, the sooner we back you up."

"We'll do what we can." Kelly said. The three spartans headed to Jaune's little 'encampment'.

"So, we have about 7 hours before the assault, so rest at 1730 then wake back up at 0600 hours?" Jaune asked.

"Yeah, see you guys then." Jorge said, heading back down to his line.

"So, you ready for some more action?" Kelly asked.

"Oh yeah, things get boring after a while." Jaune said.

Kelly chuckled. "We've only been here a day."

Jaune just pointed at her. "Exactly." They both then shared a laugh.

-The next morning, 0200 hours-

On the wall, Blue team had regrouped next the defensive wall. Behind them, in a parking lot, Captain Roosa and his men were making last minute preparations for their attack. In the sky, the moon was shrouded by a heavy cloud cover.

"Alright, let's go over this again, Jorge, you, Kelly, and I will be at the front. Arc will be at our back. Find a sniper tower and kill any covenant in it. Once that happens, Arc, you take up position and start taking out enemy snipers then assist us in taking out ground forces. Our priority are any anti-air, once they're done Captain Roosa can reinforce us. When that happens, we simply have to mop up. Questions?" John asked.

"If they counter attack?" Kelly asked.

"We deal with them as necessary. Unless they bring in heavy armor, we continue the attack." John said.

"What are we waiting for?" Jaune asked.

"Colonel McAnderson's word." John replied.

" _Blue team, you're clear to move out"_ Colonel McAnderson said on the battlenet.

"Speaking of which, let's going." Jorge said. The team moved slowly out of the defensive line, moving slowly through, the now determined, no-man's-land. Opposite of the UNSC's line, the covenant had sniper towers and several dug in plasma MGs. The spartans slowly moved into position outside the village.

From their location, they could see several sniper towers with jackals in them, as well as several patrols of grunts walking around the village perimeter.

-0224-

"Three, two, one." Right as John finished, UNSC artillery started firing on several covenant positions on the other side of no-man's-land for several minutes. As the shells started landing, the grunts patrolling the village ran inside. The jackals looked around, their posture stiffening and the grip on their guns tightened. Elites can be heard barking orders in their native language. What couldn't be heard was the sound of anti-gravity tech.

A minute after the bombardment started, it ended. Jaune looked behind him and watched tracer fire light several points along the front. However, he was taken out of his stupor when the sound of footsteps could be heard approaching them.

"Contacts, 20 meters out, closing in." Kelly said.

"Size?" John asked.

"About, ten grunts and one elite." Kelly responded.

"Take them down?" Jorge asked.

"Affirmative, wait til my mark." John said. Jaune was about 5 meters behind the rest of Blue team, however, he could see the covenant better than the rest of his team could. All he needed was John's command.

"Fire." With that word Jorge downed the shields of the elite allowing Jaune to take him down with a precise headshot. John and Kelly quickly killed 5 grunts between them before Jorge got involved.

A high powered beam flew past Kelly's head. "Arc."

"On it." Jaune quickly took aim at the jackal snipers in one tower, killing both of them. He didn't give time for the other tower's sniper to get a chance to take any actions, he quickly killed them too.

"Push forward." John said. The four spartans quickly entered the village. From Jorge's view he could see around thirty grunts around a methane tank. When Jaune got into a tower, he saw pieces of the tank and grunt fly past him. Below him, Kelly was clearing out the houses, while John and Jorge were fighting in the street.

From Jaune's view he could see the covenant forces in the village's plaza, around their charging stations. "I think we caught them with their pants down. Their gear appears to be charging."

"Good. Blue team, push forward." John said. However, Jaune saw something that caught his attention. 'Banshees.'

"Banshees incoming!" Jaune yelled out. He pulled out the prototype railgun and took aim at a banshee. The banshee had clearly seen him, as it was firing at him. The purple plasma blobs striking the platform he was on, causing the platform to shudder a little. Jaune however, was not fazed, he kept his aim and fired. The banshee was given no time to react, the round slamming into the front of the craft, tearing it apart, the debris falling onto a building, destroying it. The other two banshees notice the death of their comrade, so they turn their attention to the thing that killed him. Jaune takes aim and fires after charging the weapon again and downing another banshee. The last one however, fires a fuel rod charge at the platform. Jaune reloads, charges and fires again, however, he takes no time to see if he hit the banshee.

He jumps off the platform, slamming into the ground. The fuel rod charge misses the platform, slamming into the street by the platform. However, the banshee kamikazes into the into the platform, destroying.

"Arc! Arc, you ok?!" Kelly yells out.

"Yeah, I'm good." Jaune replies.

"Good, get your ass up here." John said. Jaune grabs the railgun and holsters it and taking out his DMR. He quickly ran down the street and up to the rest of his team. He slid into cover behind a concrete barrier with plasma flying overhead.

"Nice shooting Arc. Any ideas?" John asked. Jaune peaked over the barrier only to see lines of covenant forces marching slowly on them.

"Blitz them maybe?" Jaune asked.

"Better than staying here John." Jorge said.

"Agreed. Grenades." John said. Everyone pulled out a grenade, then pulled the pin. They all cooked the grenade for three seconds before throwing them. Four explosions could be heard and felt from behind the barrier. The four spartans quickly popped up and opened fire on the drazed covenant troops. Kelly darted forward behind a car killing anything that was too close. Jorge simply fired into the mass of covenant troops with John. Jaune was firing on any elites with no or weakened shields.

The covenant troops quickly changed tactics. The elites diving and rolling for cover while some of the grunts either did the same, or simply charged the spartans. Several of them activating plasma grenades and sprinting at the spartans.

"Watch out, their suiciding." Kelly said. Jaune saw one grunt try to fire his plasma pistol only to see it do nothing. He looked down, saw nothing was gonna come out, and pulled out two plasma grenades start sprinting at the spartans. Jaune simply headshotted him and the grunt dropped his plasma grenades. Some of the grunts saw this and dove out of the way. Unfortunately, most didn't not, so when the grenades exploded, most were killed either by the grenades themselves, or when the dropped grenades exploded along with the grunts methane tanks.

Light smoke covered the street, obscuring the line of sights for both side.

"Blue team advance." John said. The spartans got out of their cover and pushed slowly with John and Kelly at the front, Jorge in the middle, and Jaune at the rear. Several elites that survived on the flanks were taken out by Kelly, while John and Jorge took out any survivors in the street.

"Hunte-" Jaune didn't even get a chance to respond. A pair of hunters appeared on their right. One of them smacks Jaune, sending him flying into the building on his left. He was dazed and he could taste blood in his mouth. He looked down at his tact pad to look for any damage, no broken bones, however, his chest and right arm was bruised heavily. As well as his lower lip cut by his teeth. He got up and stumbled out the building, finding his DMR in the hole he made. Jaune could see his team engaging the hunters. He takes aim at the exposed back of a hunter and fires.

Clearly, this hunter had been focused down first, as fire from him and Jorge quickly kills it. However, before the second hunter could cause any further damage, it was lit up by spotlights from pelicans which had just arrived. The pelicans fired a volley of missiles at the remaining hunter killing it. They then quickly touched down in the street and unloaded the marines they carried.

"Push forward!" A marine yells out. Most covenant troops in the village had already either been killed or winded by the spartans, so the arrival of the UNSC marines caused them to simply buckle. They were completely overrun and killed to last man. While the marines were double checking the village's some twenty or so buildings, the spartans regrouped.

"You alright Arc? You got hit pretty hard." Jorge asked.

"Yeah, I've been hit worse." Jaune said. Kelly took off her helmet, followed by the rest of the team, except John.

"Are you make it a habit of keeping that thing on?" Jaune asked.

"Might as well." John responded.

"Alright, I want all the surviving covenant gear tagged and put in a pile to take back to the FOB! Engineers, look over the covenant structures for any explosives! Let's get to work marines!" Captain Roosa yells. He then spots the spartans. "Spartans! Colonel McAnderson says good job. They'll be moving the first battery up here at 0500. We have three hours to check for bobby traps."

"I doubt there'll be any. Covenant don't usually use them." Kelly said.

"Doesn't hurt to look anyway." Captain Roosa said.

"Fair enough." Kelly said.

"Exactly. There's ammo at the landing zone, restock then help where you see fit. It's time us grunts pull some weight." Captain Roosa said.

"Understood captain." John said. The captain saluted the spartans with the spartans returning the gesture. They walk over to the pelicans which had just finished unloading crates of ammunition. The spartans restocked before moving out again. Jorge finding a high point for his HMG while John and Kelly patrol around. Jaune however, finds the highest point: the flat roof of a school. When he gets up there, he takes a look around the area.

'No wonder they wanted this for this position for the artillery, it was line of fire for the whole area.' Around the single hill that the village was on, light forest spread out for kilometers, however, if looked far enough, farmland could be seen. Turning around, he could see a large mountain range going south east to the north west. He could also see the once capital of Harvest, now a wasteland. Above him, he could see orbital debris falling down, likely the remains of the ships that were fighting a day before. Even further somewhere was the city of Gandvik.

Looking back over the covenant lines, the sun was starting to show itself, so the covenant buildings started to reflect sunlight in every direction. In the forest, he could make out movement. Covenant forces repositioning because of the day's earlier barrage and attacks.

However, Jaune was taken out of his stupor by several large plasma blobs flying overhead.

" _The covenant are counter-attacking! Everyone find a hole and stay there! Pelicans, get airborne!"_ Captain Roosa yelled over the battlenet. Jaune grabbed his DMR and ran to a firing position above the main road. Covenant troops started moving down the road firing on any UNSC forces they could. Jaune took aim at several grunts killing them. Behind him, the pelicans started taking off from the unofficial landing zone. One was instantly shot down, causing it to come down right where it lifted off, however, the other two did safely take off.

Looking back at the main covenant force, he could see Jorge and John firing on the lead covenant troops made up of brutes and jackals. Jaune started picking off brute commanders with mild success. What he didn't see or hear was some distorted light behind him. What did alert him was several energy swords activating.

His combat instincts then took over, he rolled over the left and threw a grenade at the distortions them fired at them as well. The elites both dived out of the way and decloaked. He kills one elite and lowers the shields of the other two. The remaining three elites charge the spartan with their energy swords. One slices at Jaune, taking out his DMR, causing Jaune to take out his knife. The opposing elite jumped backwards, allowing another elite the take it's place. Jaune dodges the attack at him, he grabbed the elites wrist and stabs him in the throat, then tosses him off the roof.

The other two elites, clearly angered by the death of another comrade, charge him again. He disarms one elite and tosses him off the roof. He then engages the last remaining elite. He stabs at Jaune, he attempts to dodge, however, the elite nicked his left shoulder, right next to his neck. Any closer the right, and the hit would have been fatal. Jaune was about to grab the elite's wrist, however, from behind, the elite he tossed off the roof managed to get back up, and forcefully removed his helmet.

The elite in front of him stabbed at him again, Jaune made no effort for a counter attack, he simply wanted to not take an energy sword to the face. However, mid swing, the elite turned the energy sword sideways, nicking his face right at the bridge of his nose, under his eyes. The angle he was turning caused the energy sword to go into his right cheek. The elite behind him attempted to smack him with his own helmet, which he succeed in doing, a jagged edge from the helmet cut him on the left side of his face from the top of his chin up to the edge of his hairline.

Adrenaline kicking in, he grabbed the elite that is now on his right by the top part of his chest piece and tosses him into the other elites slash, killing him. He then charged the elite and grabbed his wrist and snapped it, causing him to drop the energy sword. With no mercy, he slashes the elites throat and throws him off the roof. He looks around for his helmet, finding it in the elite's hand still. After putting it back on, he finally zoned back into everything else around him.

" _Arc! Arc! You ok?"_ Kelly yelled out.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just some cloaked elites. Killed them, but took some hits." Jaune replied.

" _Alright, well, while you were playing the elites, we repealed the attack."_ Kelly said.

"Copy that. I need a new DMR. And some bandages." Jaune said.

" _Head back to the landing zone. There's some medics down there."_ Kelly said.

"Copy that." Jaune said. Jaune simply left the remains of his DMR on the roof, so he simply jumped off the roof, rolling on impact to lessen the fall, the then started walking over to the landing zone, again. After arriving at the medic's location, he takes off his helmet allowing them to look over him.

"Alright, no major damage, just aesthetics. You'll have some wicked scars in a few weeks. I'm just gonna put some bandages on it. Leave it on for 24 hours, report back to us and so on and so forth. Alright, NEXT!" Jaune took that as his cue to leave. Putting his helmet back on, he walked out of the tent used as the medical center and towards the quartermaster.

"One DMR. Five magazines." Jaune said. The quartermaster wordlessly grabbed him a DMR and five magazines for the spartan, then handed them to him. "Thanks" Jaune said, then walked out. Walking back to the last place he saw his team, he started looking for them, then realized something.

"What's your position?" Jaune asked.

" _Plaza."_ Kelly answered.

"Thanks." Jaune then proceeded to the plaza. After walking for about a minute, he arrived at the plaza and saw the rest of his team.

"Bout time you showed up." Jorge said. "What's the damage?" Jaune took off his helmet.

"Ouch. How'd you manage to accomplish that?" Kelly asked.

"Sneaky elite tore my helmet plus a dick with an energy sword." Jaune answered.

"Shit. Keep a better eye on your surroundings." Jorge said.

"Yeah, yeah. I had other problems." Jaune said, putting his helmet back on.

"How many other problems?" Kelly asked.

"About three others." Jaune answered.

"At least you took care of them." John said.

"Yeah, barely. Won that my the skin of my teeth. Any more, and that would be the end of good old Arc." Jaune said.

"Hey, we don't die. We go missing in action." Kelly said. Everyone chuckled at that.

"Yeah, that does sound about right." Jorge said. John broke off when is communicator went off.

"Copy that, I'll let them know." John said, then sighed. "New orders. Once the fleet returns, we're being reassigned off world."

"Off world? We're needed here sir." Jaune said.

"I know. We'll get our specific orders when they arrive. And yes, we'll still be getting our new gear my the sounds of it." John said.

"At least there's some good news." Jorge said.

"Any more good news?" Kelly asked.

"Yeah, the refitted Phoenix Class Colony Ships Spirit of Fire, Mid Winter's Night, and Homecoming will reinforcing the ground troops here." John said.

"So, they lose four spartans and gain an ass load of marines and ODSTs. Sound about right?" Kelly asked.

"Sounds about right." John said.

"Lovely. So, what is there to do around here?" Jaune asked. Jorge and Kelly simply shrugged their shoulders.

"Find something to do then. Shit, these marines probably could use some help." Kelly said.

"Audio log, time stamp 0625 hours. We've secured the village of Snarhind, though, if I'm being honest with myself, I don't know if we can hold onto it. The covenant counter attacked right after we cleared the town in force. Their armor couldn't get through the forest, but that didn't stop the infantry from trying. Brutes and jackals only. Still these marines need those reinforcements as soon as they can get them. I fear they may not survive till they get reinforced. Until then, all we spartans can do help hold the covenant at bay.

Other news, had another memory from Remnant return to me, seeing these homes, it reminded me of my hometown of Arcadia. A few thousand people, my three younger and older sisters and I playing in the local playground. Hehe. Fond memories that help remind me of the human cost of everything. Again, I wonder if the covenant found them. I only wish a quick end for them all. I remember my youngest sister, Jean, I think her name was, told me she wanted to do what I was training to do: be a huntsman. The first and last line of defense for our city and kingdom.

My mother was the leader of the city with my father a professional hunter, graduated from Beacon Academy, it's like West Point on Earth for huntsmen. I also wonder if I will return there, as much as my longing to see my family wants me to go, I cannot leave my brothers and sister behind. Only death will take me there. Or some crazy cosmic coincidence. Sierra Arc-034, signing off."


	3. Return

**Hey guys, so yeah, I kinda forgot to type out my author's note, thing, at the beginning of my previous chapter, by this point, it's already typed out.**

Edboy4926: Thanks.

Guest 1: No.

Guest 2: Thanks

"Character dialogue"

" _Radio transmissions."_

'Internal thoughts'

 _Anomaly detected, 0.3 light years away, preparing slipspace portal._ If one was to look out of a ship near the system, it would see a large portal of some kind open followed by the system's complete disappearance.

-Intel Report. ONI, Top Secret.-

-Total UNSC strength on Harvest is unknown. Last report indicated the last pocket of UNSC resistance was Colonel McAnderson's regiment with around 5000 troops. However, due to their location, they are spread to their limit. Current Covenant numbers are unknown, estimate around half a million spread across the habitable parts of the planet. With them is Spartan Blue team, ordered there by ONI for (redacted). Current covenant orbital strength is unknown.-

"Hold them back! Hold them-" A marine was yelling when he was silenced by several plasma blots, his head simply disappearing from existence. Several grunts ran up where the marine was only to be killed by HMG fire courtesy of Jorge.

"They're pushing again!" Jaune yelled.

"No shit Arc. Push them back!" Kelly said.

" _All UNSC forces, evacuation order April. I repeat, evacuation order April, everyone, get the hell out of there!"_ The radio yelled.

"Incoming!" Jaune looked over to see several plasma blobs fly overhead and land next to him, exploding a crate of C10 explosives, sending him flying into a building.

-Flashback, five minutes ago-

"We've got incoming! West side!" A marine yells.

"Third attack today. I don't think we can hold the village." Kelly said.

"We're not. Colonel McAnderson has given an order: we are to hold as long we can. Six more convoys remain with our wounded and dead. We will get out on the last one. I will lead the entire way marines! Let's show the alien bastards how it's done, Oorah!" Captain Roosa yelled.

" **Oorah!"** The marines yelled back.

"Spartans, I need you now more than ever, the longer you can hold them back, the better. Remember evacuation April is the final evac order." Captain Roosa said.

"Roger that sir, we won't let you down." Jorge said.

"Alright, Arc DMR status?" John asked.

"No ammo anywhere, gonna make do with an assault rifle."

"Kelly?"

"Good for now, don't know how long that will last."

"Jorge?"

"Same. I'm ready to kick some ass." Jorge said.

"Jorge, there's a watch tower right there, I want you up there." Jorge nodded then ran off.

"Kelly, same deal as yesterday, circle in their lines. Disrupt them."

"You got it." Kelly said before running off.

"Arc, you're with me." John said.

"Copy that sir. Where we staying?" Jaune asked.

"Main road. We're gonna intercept the covenant armor." John answered.

"Well, let's get to it John." Jaune said. Down the road, a column of covenant troops were attacking the UNSC position there which was mostly made up of fix HMG nests and low sandbag walls. The main covenant force was mostly elites and grunts, however, there was also a heavy presence of drones. The two spartans ran over to the sandbag wall on either side of the road. Behind the covenant ground troops, wraiths and ghosts could be heard.

"Sounds like they're gonna have armor with them this time." Jaune said.

"Shoulda heard it last night spartan, their wraiths were clearing a path all night. This is gonna be the final push." A marine says.

"Is our artillery set up yet?" John asked.

"Yes sir. Here." The same marine throws a target locator. (A/N: The same one used in Halo Reach) "This is synced up with both of the batteries."

"Arc, spot targets and I'll get the batteries to fire." John said.

"Covenant infantry, 12 o'clock." Jaune said. John pointed the locator at the main covenant force, a green laser was pointed at a field marshal before going red after a few seconds.

" _Target locked, firing now."_ Behind them, the two, four gun batteries could be heard firing. Then in front of them, most of the covenant forces simply disappeared in haze of smoke, torn flesh, and asphalt. The remaining grunts, elites, and drones fall back, all while being picked off by the defenders.

"Good hit, target destroyed." John said.

" _Copy that, ten seconds til we're back."_

"Roger that." John replied.

"Should we advance?" A female marine asks.

"Negative. Our objective is to hold this line as we can. Pick off what you can, but remain in place." John replied.

"Copy that sir." The same female marine replies back.

"Second wave incoming! Grunts, jackals, and brutes." A marine on look out yells. Cresting over the shelled out road, the tall brutes came sprinting over the hill with jackals and grunts behind them. The entire line opens fire on the brute line.

" _Ready for targets."_ The artillery gunners say over the radio. However, in front of the marines, the brutes simply charged forward, leaving behind the rest of the assault force. With the main hitters of the attack force simply mauled by fire from the UNSC, the grunts and jackals simply stopped in the shell hole in the road and dug in there.

"Covenant infantry, 12 o'clock." Jaune calls out. John one-hands the target locator and lazes the covenant infantry.

" _Target locked, firing."_ Again, the artillery fire and make the covenant troops in front of them disappear.

" _Ten seconds til we're back on station."_

"Wave destroyed." Jaune said.

"Third covenant pulling back! We've got some room to breath!"

"Arc, take the target locator and slow their armor down. The rest are stay here, give some cover in case he brings back some visitors." John says, then throws the target locator to Jaune. He goes parallel to the defensive line and between two homes. The line does continue to a part of the village that was overlooking no-man's-land. At this position, most of the remaining snipers camped out, picking off and covenant snipers and commanders.

"Spartan? What brings you here?" A sniper asks. Jaune simply holds up the target locator.

"Got a present for the covenant tanks." Jaune said.

" _Ready for targets."_

"Alright, make it quick, we're about to bug out." Jaune takes the tallest point of the sandbag line and looks for the covenant armor column. Several explosions catch his attention. They're source: covenant wraiths.

"Artillery, I'm about to paint enemy armor column, need a long spread."

" _Copy, computers ready."_ Taking out the target locator, he lines up the target locator, then paints the target.

" _Target locked, firing."_ In front of him he could see the third and possible fourth wave around the area he lazed. The front of the column is covered by explosions, then the rest of the column suffers the same fate. However, it's not all good news.

"John, more of the forest is open, we need to start evacing now." Jaune said.

" _I'm aware of that spartan, we're doing what we can. Hold them for another minute. You're gonna be the last people out."_ Captain Roosa says.

" _Copy that, we'll hold the line. Blue team rendezvous on the main road."_ John says. Jaune goes back the way he came, when he gets back to the road, he finds the rest of the team there.

"Ok, what's the plan now?" Jorge asked.

"We hold here, buy the marines some time." John said.

"Alright, let's get to work." Right as Jaune says that, a plasma blob explodes behind him. Coming over the ridge was a wraith.

"Laze that tank." John says while the four of them take cover. Jaune attempts to laze the front of the convoy, however, all he gets is a massive error.

"The locator's electronics must be overloaded, it won't start back up." Jaune said.

"Shit! What now?" Kelly asks.

"Arc! You got a plasma grenade?" John asked. Jaune then grabbed one off the ground.

"Yeah, and I see what you have planned." Jaune said back.

"Then do it, we'll cover you." John said. With a nod, Jaune jumped up and sprinted towards the covenant tanks. In front of him, the very large grunt escort started firing on Jaune. To avoid injury, he grabbed a car door and used it as a shield. He knew he impacted the grunt line when he could see both grunts and their weapons flying past him. When he got to the first tank, he jumped onto the front then leaped onto the back. Firmly gripping the back, he arms the grenade and throws it into the exhaust. Jumping off, he runs to the next one. However, it explodes, along with the first one. Seeing Kelly, he descends to head back to the front line.

"Who the hell said she could join me?" Jaune asked, then Kelly jumped over the barrier.

"I can't let you have all the fun." Kelly said.

"Well, what can I say? I'm a walking party." Jaune said, then going to fire at the covenant troops in front of them. Then the road exploded.

"Hold them back! Hold them-" A marine behind the spartans said before his head simply disappears.

"Fall back to the marines." John said, behind them, a wave of brutes and grunts started to advance. Arriving at the marine's position, they found Captain Roosa on the front, directing troops away from the front and towards the awaiting convoys.

"Spartans! I need you to hold here, we're nearly ready to leave. We still need to give the artillery the village's coordinates."

"Wait, coordinates? Why didn't use the previous coordinates from the target locator?" Jaune asked.

"It's a village wide barriage. If we can't hold it, neither will the covenant." Captain Roosa said, before leading some marines back, while others stayed behind with the spartans. The brutes, smelling blood in the water, sprint for the kill on the human forces.

The UNSC forces started firing on the advancing brutes and grunts with very good effect. Between the spartans and the fixed HMGs, the covenant forces were simply wiped out. Then the next wave of elites and grunts attacked. Hundreds of covenant troops charged the defending line.

" _Evacuation order Mike. I repeat, evacuation order Mike"_ Captain Roosa says over the radio. Next to the spartans, the marines start falling back.

"Hold the line." John says to the rest of his team.

"Incoming!" Jaune yelled. A plasma bolt flew through the air, and landed on, and detonated a crate of C10 explosives, causing Jaune to get flown into a building.

-Current time-

Climbing out of the rubble, Jaune could see Blue team holding the line.

"I don't know if you heard Arc, but evacuation order April has been called, we're retreating. John says.

"Copy that, I'll be right behind you." Jaune says. Blue team started falling back towards the evac convoys.

"Spartans! Find a vehicle and mount up, we're leaving now." Captain Roosa says. After hopping into three different transport warthogs, the convoy started hauling ass out of the village.

"Wraiths! 3 o'clock!" A marine yells out. Looking behind him, Jaune could see a group of four wraiths firing onto the convoy ahead of them. However, they quickly turned their guns onto their convoy and fired.

" _Go evasive!"_ Captain Roosa yelled over the radio. The five convoy warthogs started driving in all different directions to avoid the wraith's fire. When one warthog was about to be hit, Kelly could be seen jumping out and sprinting for the city perimeter, while the warthog she just jumped from was hit, causing the whole front to simply be melted away, while the back flipped a few times before coming to a rest in a roadside ditch.

Jaune was looking at his HUDs clock, counting down the seconds til they get back to friendly lines. In the village behind them, covenant troops were revelating in their victory, however it was was cut short by UNSC artillery. If one was to look from the convoy's position, the entire village simply disappeared in a large puff of smoke, debris, and covenant remains.

What seemed like after an eternity, the convoy finally arrived at the city perimeter. John and Jorge got out of one warthog while Jaune got out of another while Kelly ran up to them. Waiting for them was Lieutenant Price with extra marines.

"Alright, where's Captain Roosa?" Lieutenant Price asked. Everyone could be seen looking around for him.

"He was in my warthog." Kelly said.

"And your warthog, exploded." Jaune said, saying the last word slowly. Several marines simply tried to find a seat somewhere, while others simply started praying.

"The captains gone?" Price said quietly. "Son of a bitch! Alright, the captain wouldn't let us stand around doing nothing. I want a headcount of who we have left." The marines got to work, while Price went to talk with the spartans.

"I'm not gonna lie, the captain was keeping this unit together through sheer force of will. We're gonna be down for a little. We took a pounding during the fight at the village. I need you to report his death to Colonel McAnderson." Price said.

"I'll do it. I was the last to see him alive." Kelly said.

"Thank you spartan. I'm going to help my men." Price said, then walking towards his troopers.

Before anyone could react, several spec ops elites decloaked and activated energy swords. One swung at Jorge, slashing his chest, but not fatality. Jaune and Kelly then goes into 'spartan time', time around them slows to a crawl. Both pull out their combat knifes and attack one of the elites. John was the next to react then go into 'spartan time'. Then the marines react and fire on the last elite. Though the fight was over quickly, Jorge was still on the ground.

"Jorge! You still with us?!" Kelly yelled.

"Yeah. Sword cut the upper part of my chest, I'll live." Jorge said. On his armor, a horizontal line of charred armor could be seen on his chest.

"Arc, help me. We're getting him out of here." John said. Jaune nodded and help John get Jorge to the infirmary.

"What can you do doc?" Jaune asked. The on hand doctor simply sighed.

"Not as much as I would like. I don't have the necessary equipment to remove his armor. All I can do is put under anesthesia and take out and treat the affected flesh." The doctor said.

"It's something. I'll be fine John. Get a report to McAnderson." Jorge said.

"Is that an order, Warrant Officer?" John asked.

"No sir, just a suggestion." Jorge said with a grin. "Give them hell for me." The three spartans shared a fist bump before John and Jaune left.

"Well shit. Jorge is down." Jaune said.

"But not out." John said back.

"Yeah, there's not a lot that can keep him down for long." Jaune said chuckling.

"No, no there's not." The two spartans then headed off the find McAnderson. Inside the command center, McAnderson could be seen talking with Kelly.

"Roosa is dead? Correct?" McAnderson asked Kelly.

"Yes sir. KIA." Kelly said. McAnderson simply pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Son of a bitch. And Sierra 052?"

"Alive. He's gonna be out of action for a little bit. He also needs a new chest piece." John said.

"The fleet isn't due for another two days." He thought for about a minute. "Alright. We're gonna tighten our belts and wait for the fleet. It's all we can do right now. We don't have the numbers for anymore mistakes."

"Understood sir." John said.

"I'm gonna need you three to pull more weight as well. Mostly recon so my recon marines can rest." McAnderson said.

"Copy that sir. Just give us a mission." Jaune said.

"Dismissed." The three spartans saluted, then walked out of the command center.

"Alright, Kelly you're on recon. Arc sniper support for her. I'll logistics. Let's not screw this up." John sternly said.

"You got it John." Jaune said back.

"Just give me the word. Might leave something from Jorge." Kelly said.

"Good, get some rest. We'll start tomorrow." John said.

-Two days later-

"Timestamp, 08:34, 04-04-2528. The fleet finally arrived, surprisingly, three hours ahead of schedule. We've gotten all the wounded and John into orbit, and reinforcements on the ground. We're being taken to the UNSC Spirit of Fire for our armor. That, and being see Red team again. A nice reunion is in order. ONI denied my request for a full set of scout armor, well, not completely. Scout armor but a prototype helmet, called air assault. Looks nice, but the colors off. I'll change that later.

I also handed over the railgun prototype to ONI and helmet footage. While a younger ONI agent wasn't happy, his commander was. He said they were looking for a place to field test. I told him they got plenty. Got my ear chewed off by another ONI agent for something involving a breach in security for taking marines with me to the crash site. Though I told him we didn't know it was an ONI pelican, that seemed to get him to stop for now, don't know how long that will last. Sierra-034 signing off.

-Spirit of Fire hangar bay-

"Welcome aboard Blue team. I'm Captain Cutter. Master Chief, I'm sorry to say it, but Sierra-052 is going back to Reach" Captain Cutter said. Then an AI avatar of a viking appeared.

"Sir, ONI is ready for them." The AI said.

"Thank you Holguard. They're in bay 12. I'll have a marine escort." As Captain Cutter was walking away, he stopped. "Oh, and Red team will be waiting for you."

"Understood sir." Under their helmets, Blue team was smiling. They were seeing some of their brothers.

"Spartans, we're here to take you to bay 12. Please follow us." A male marine said. Following the marines, Blue team was lead through the bowels of the ship. After a five minute journey, they arrived at a large bay. Inside was three other spartans, as well about a dozen other technicians.

"John!" A spartan yelled out. After lining up, they all took off their helmets. The other team had two males and one female member.

"Where's Jorge?" The same spartan asked.

"Took a hit on the ground. He's alive, but going back to Reach." John said.

"Damn. At least he's still with us." Another spartan said.

"Yeah. That it is Douglas." Jaune said.

"So, how have things been with Alice and Jerome?" Kelly asked.

"We did what we could in Jericho 3. Saved what we could." Alice said.

"You did what could, that's all that matters." Jaune said. Then a tech interrupted.

"Sorry to intrude, but ONI would like Blue team to get into the new suits." He said.

"That's fine." John said.

"I wonder if this is the prototype gave me." Jaune said.

"They gave you a prototype? This is gonna be good." Douglas said. John's suit looked the same on the outside, however, he could feel the weight difference. Kelly's armor was the new EVA armor she requested, giving her more maneuverability in space, along with some other features.

Jaune's scout armor was the lightest of all six armor types, giving him more speed. His air assault helmet had a black visor, 'gonna call it midnight visor'. As well as giving him increased zoom on his weapons, he also gave real time recording to anyone his his fire team and command center/ tact computer.

"Aside for the known advantages over the standard GEN1 MK IV, you're armor also now has tested prototype energy shielding. That, along with new alloys, make the armor overall, slightly lighter. By about twenty pounds." The tech said.

"It's something. I do like the shields though. What kind of punishment can they take?" Jaune asked.

"The shields will not stop a full sniper rifle round, but will not penetrate the helmet." He said back. Several of the spartans whistled.

"Damn. You can take some hits." Jerome said.

"Yes, but please, we don't know how much the shields can take before they overload." The tech said.

"Have you stress tested that yet?" Alice asked.

"I'm afraid not. While I understand the usefulness of them, most of us would've preferred to fully stress test them first. But beggars can't be choosers." The tech said.

"Damn right we can't." Kelly said.

" _Blue team, report to the bridge. I repeat, Blue team, report to the bridge."_ The intercom system says.

"No rest for the wicked." Kelly said.

"Good luck guys." Jerome said. The six spartans shared a fist bump.

"You guys as well." John said. Blue team then found some marines to escort them to the bridge. In the bridge, Captain Cutter, AI Holguard, and a hologram of Fleet Admiral Cole were all together.

"Sir, Blue team reporting." John said. The three of them faced the spartans.

"Excellent. Blue team, orders from ONI. Kelly and Arc are to assist in an orbital offensive, alone, and not part of Blue team. Master Chief, you are to going to stay here until their done with their mission." Cutter says.

"Understood sir." John says back.

"Dismissed Master Chief." Cutter says. John then walks out

"What's the target?" Jaune asks.

"ONI identified a minor fleet master in command of a local assault force. You two are to board the ship and destroy it by any means necessary." Admiral Cole says. Jaune and Kelly raise an eyebrow.

"We're not getting nukes?" Kelly asked.

"I'm afraid not. Fleet Admiral Hood has asked to use as few nukes as possible." Admiral Cole says, before a hologram of the fleet appears. "The fleet composition does not warrant a nuke. One CCS-Class battlecruiser in command of nine SDV-Class heavy corvettes. We can deal with the escorts, but they will be far more organized with that fleet master. Your mission is to kill him and destroy his ship."

"Understood sir, we'll get it done." Jaune said.

"Good. You'll be flown in via pelican, there you are going to eva to the covenant ships. If you can get there undetected, you should arrive before the fleet does. You have five minutes before we engage the fleet. Dismissed." Admiral Cole said.

"Good luck spartans. The pelican will be waiting for you in bay 2. Marines, escort them." Cutter said The marines saluted, followed by the spartans who then followed the marines out.

In the hangar, pelican dropships were beginning to deploy another wave of troops to Harvest. In a separate section, one could see two spartans gearing up for an EVA assault, if the rocket boosters on their backs were any indication.

"So what's the plan?" Jaune asked.

"We kick in the front door." Kelly said.

"That's it? What about their shields?" Jaune asked.

"If we're smart, they'll never know we're onboard til it's too late." Kelly replied.

"Alright then, let's get going." Jaune says. The two then start walking over to a nearby pelican, one outfitted for stealth.

"You two Blue team?" The pilot asked.

"Affirmative." Jaune says back.

"Alright strap in, we got a ten minute flight. Make your peace with god now." The pilot says.

"Any extra details I wanna know about?" Kelly asked.

"I was thinking, if we knock out life support, it makes our jobs easier. Or take out the grunts wherever they like to hang out. Something to make a nice diversion." Jaune says.

"Ok, well, ONI hasn't identified a life support system in covenant ships yet. And the command bridge is gonna be in the bowels of the ship. So, I say we kick in the front door." Kelly says.

"Admiral Cole also asked us to destroy or disable the ship." Jaune added.

"Well, any ideas?" Kelly asked. Jaune put his chin in his hands in a thinking pose.

"What if we, somehow make the slipspace drive activate prematurely? That oughta take out both the ship, and anything too close to it." Jaune said. Kelly's eyes expanded to comical proportions.

"YES! Let's do that!" Kelly yelled. Jaune laughed at her reaction.

"Alright. Now then, how do we sabotage a slipspace drive?" Jaune asked.

" _I believe i can help."_ A new voice chimed in.

"Who was that?" Jaune asked.

" _AI Holguard. And I believe I have a solution to your problem: from what we understand, the covenant use energy shields on their slipspace drives. Activate the drive with out it's shields. The only problem is, you would need to isolate the shield generator from the ship's reactor."_ AI Holguard states.

"Let me guess, the shield generator is directly connected to main reactor?" Jaune asked.

" _Correct. The only known way is to manually reset the shield generator, then remove one of the plasma conductors."_ AI Holguard says.

"Alright, thanks for the help Holguard." Kelly says.

" _My pleasure spartans, good luck."_ AI Holguard says.

"Anything else we need to think about?" Jaune asks.

"Nope. Maybe Remnant?" Kelly teased.

"Since I opened my mouth about that, you're not gonna keep quiet about it, are you?" Jaune asked.

"Nope." Kelly said cheerily. "But in all seriousness, do you remember anything else?"

"Hmm," Jaune said while thinking. "A little, I had a twin named Jean. Was my practical shadow, she wanted to do anything I did." Kelly laughed.

"I can imagine that: a female Jaune following around our male friend, doing anything and everything he does."

"Two minutes!" The co-pilot yells back.

"Very funny. Let's suit up." Jaune says, all joking ends there, it was time to focus.

"One minute!" The co-pilot yells.

"Alright, ready?" Jaune asks. His response is a fist bump.

"Always."

"Thirty seconds!" Then the cargo bay was illuminated by a red light.

"Red light, standby." The pilot says.

"You're gear good?" Kelly asked.

"Affirmative, yours?" Jaune asked back.

"Yup." Then the red light was replaced by a green light.

"Opening the hatch." In front of them, the hatch opened up, allowing the spartans to see the covenant fleet.

" _Spartans, you have ten minutes to take down that command ship and fleet master."_ Admiral Cole says.

"Copy that sir. Let's roll." Jaune says. Then, he and Kelly activated an RCS thruster, thrusting them out of the pelican and into space.

"10 kilometers!" Kelly says.

"Stay on course. Shield status?" Jaune asked.

"Still down, they haven't seen us yet." Kelly says.

"Good." Jaune says.

"5 kilometers." Kelly says.

"Stand by to release RCS thrusters, on my mark." Jaune says.

"1 kilometer."

"Mark." The valkyrie styled RCS thrusters remove themselves from the spartans. Then they impact the ship's outer hull.

"Now then, how do we get inside?" Kelly asks.

"Well, we could find a window of some kind." Jaune replies.

"Well, let's find one." Kelly says. After quietly moving along the ship's outer hull, they found a plasma torpedo launcher surrounded by a plasma shield keeping the ship's atmosphere inside.

"Alright, carefully move to the otherside. On my mark, disrupt the projector." Jaune says. Kelly nodded and goes under the torpedo launcher, and to the otherside. Looking over, she could see Jaune hold up three fingers, then two, then one.

On one, they both punched the edge of the plasma projector causing it to disappear. On the inside, everything that wasn't bolted or welded to the floor and or walls was sucked out into space, killing dozens of personal. Once the room was decompressed, the two spartans enter the ship, and stayed firmly on the ground using magnetic boots.

"Alright, find a layout of the ship. That will lead us to the bridge." Jaune says.

"Copy that." Kelly says. Then the projector behind them reactivates, allowing a team of a dozen elites to enter the room. "I say we deal with unwanted visitors first."

"Agreed." Wasting no time, the two spartans charge the elite force, not expecting boarders, they were caught off guard. They however quickly recovered and spread out through the room. Spotting a plasma storage container, Jaune lobs a grenade at it, destroying it, and vaporizing the wall behind it, along with most of the elites who Kelly promptly killed off.

"Through the hole." Jaune says.

"If I was the covenant, where would I put a command bridge?" Kelly says.

"In the middle of the ship. Come on." Jaune says. "Fleet Admiral Cole, we are inside, proceeding with mission."

" _Copy that 034, you have seven minutes."_ Admiral Cole states.

"Copy that."The two spartans arrive at a crossroads. "Alright, Kelly we're gonna split up, you head for the command bridge, I'll handle the slipspace drive."

"Copy that, good luck." The two spartans share another fistbump, then head off in opposite directions. Moving quickly through the ship, killing any covenant he comes across, he finally comes across what could be best described as engineering. Entering the main room and killing the few elites inside, he moves through the room and finds what he's looking for: the slipspace drive. **(A/N just use the slipspace drive from Halo Reach)**

"Kelly, I found the drive, what's your status?"

" _In the bridge, give me a minute."_ Kelly says. Letting Kelly do her work, he turns his attention to the slipspace drive. True to Holguard's word, the drive was surrounded in an energy shield. Looking around, he finds the generator connected to the drive by several cable, with the thickness of a 50 cal. Looking at it, he-

" _Fleet master's dead. What's your status?"_ Kelly asked.

"About to reset the shield generator. Meet up at a nearby torpedo launcher." Jaune says.

" _Copy that, I'll let Admiral Cole know our status"_ Kelly says.

"Thanks Kelly." Jaune says, then goes back to the generator. While talking with Kelly, he manages to reset the generator. Reaching into it, he pulls out a plasma conductor, followed by a grenade. And just for extra measure, he cuts the cables connecting the generator to the slipspace drive. Looking at the drive, he hacks into it and starts up it's start up sequence. He then sets the portal's coordinates to be on the ship itself

"Alright, Kelly, we got two minutes." Jaune says, running out of the room, and back where he came.

" _Copy that, I'm at a launcher. I hope you have a plan to get out."_ Kelly says.

"I do. We use the sudden decompression to get out." Jaune says.

" _Nice, I'm waiting. It's not polite to make a lady wait."_ Kelly teases. Jaune then enters the room.

"Very funny Kelly. Get ready." Jaune says, getting on edge of the energy shield. "Admiral Cole, we are leaving now. Be advised, the ship's slipspace drive has been activated, keep the fleet away."

" _Copy that spartan. We're moving now."_ Jaune the looks over to Kelly. Behind him, several doors explodes open followed by dozens covenant elites, grunts, and jackals.

"NOW!" They both punch the projector, and as before, the field dissipates, but unlike before, they didn't have their magnetic boots active, causing them to fly out of the ship, along with everything in the room. In front of the them, several MAC rounds fly towards the covenant fleet, destroying one of the escort heavy corvettes. Behind them, a solid blue sphere appears and crackles of blue lightening bolts could be seen under the ship. Then a slipspace rupture opens up. Expanding in size quickly, it gains on the two spartans.

" _Spartans! We can't reach you both, that field will consume you both!"_ The pelican pilot yells out. Jaune makes a quick decision.

"I'm sorry Kelly."

"For what?" Kelly asks. Jaune simply grabs her arm and using his last remaining RCS thruster fuel, flings her in a circle, towards the pelican. However, he is flung back towards the covenant fleet.

"NO! ARC!" Kelly cries out. Jaune then is turned towards to slowing slipspace rupture.

"Give them hell Kelly. Arc out." Jaune says. 'Well shit.' He thinks before disappearing into the slipspace rupture, followed by its collapse.

-UNSC Everest Command Bridge-

"Find out where that rupture is gonna go, we're gonna finish this battle and find him!" Admiral Cole barks out. "Good luck out there spartan. I only hope you're still alive if and when we find you." He whispers out.

-Slipspace 'bubble-

Inside the slipspace 'bubble, Jaune opens his eyes, and takes in the area around him. 'Ok, this is new. I'm in some kind of bubble, thing, that is blue, ish. Ok, where am I going?' Looking down at his data pad he used to hack the slipspace drive, he sees,

'FUCK! It's not going anywhere in specific. So I'm gonna keep going in slipspace until I hit what? Anything? Am I just stuck here til I die?! FUCK! Not how I wanted to go out.' Jaune then takes a couple deep breathes.

'Alright, calm down Arc, you're a spartan and the Arc family heir, you can get through this. So, how do I get out of this?'

-Unknown system, slipspace-

 _Unknown slipspace bubble approaching, collision unavoidable._

 _Alert: human genetic material detected. Exiting slipspace at estimated collision location. Contact human immediately._

Back inside Jaune's bubble, he's suddenly thrown forwards towards the other side of the bubble. Then the bubble disappears completely. Exiting the slipspace bubble. He quickly finds himself flying towards a moon of some kind. Caught in the moon's gravity, finds himself flying around it. However, a few seconds later, a world comes into view, the moon's planet, then the shattered remains of part of the moon. Thinking fast, he jumps off a large piece of the moon and grabs a smaller piece to us as a heat shield.

"Have some faith." Jaune says to himself. Then the heating effects of reentry occurs, flying down towards a landmass. Closer to the ground, he could see he was closing on an island, agricultural, if the large amounts of fields full of crops were any indication. A few seconds later, he turns his back towards the ground, then activates his energy shield to create a 'parachute', to slow his fall to a survivable level.

 **SLAM!** Nearby, three women, one a younger version of another and two males were walking back towards a house. One the women had long, blonde hair that went down to her waist. The youngest woman, who could more described as a young teenager, had short, red hair, and cape similar to the older woman, though instead of white, it was red. One of the males had a waist long, slightly torn red cape, with black hair going back from his head. The other male had short blonde hair, with tattoos on his right arm, with a shoulder guard on the same arm.

It was near sun down, the sun was starting to fall over the horizon when they felt the ground shake violently.

"What was that?" The older woman asks.

"No idea Summer. Ruby, Yang stay here at the house. Come on Qrow, let's take a look." One of the man says.

"Alright." The other man named, Qrow says back.

"Stay safe." The older woman, named Summer, says to both of the men.

"We will be Summer, you look after the girls." The unnamed male says before running of towards the source of the impact.

"What do you think we'll find Tai?" Qrow asks.

"No idea Qrow. I don't think it will be grimm though." Tai responds.

Qrow seems to think about that answer. "I agree. The grimm wouldn't cause this sort of ruckus. Though what would?"

"No idea. Let's just hope it's not hostile." Tai says.

"We're huntsmen. I think we, can take it." Qrow stops talking when they come across the source of the impact. A large, thing in white armor holding onto a rock like it was it's lifeline. Behind them, some bushes were moved. Turning around with weapons armed, they are greeted by the three females from earlier. Qrow and Tai look at Summer.

"You know how they are. What is this thing?" Summer asks.

"No idea." Tai says.

"Do you think that's a moon rock?" The youngest girl says.

"No one's ever been there Ruby, what makes you think it's a moon rock?" The female with long hair says.

"But Yang, can you think something more awesome!" The girl. Ruby, yells while throwing her arms into the air. Everyone there simply chuckled at the young girl's antics.

"But seriously, what is that?" Yang asks.

"No idea. Can we move it?" Tai asked. Tai and Qrow go to move the massive thing, making it budge, but not by much.

"Damn, this has to weigh half a ton!" Qrow exclaims.

"Maybe, if we all tried, we can move it?" Summer asks. Qrow looks at Summer.

"You know you can't, not with that injury."

"Qrow! I am still perfectly capable of helping you boys move something." Summer says.

"Standing and arguing isn't gonna do anything, likely the grimm while have noticed this thing's fall too. We're all gonna try." Tai says. With Summer grabbing one leg, with Yang grabbing the other and Qrow and Tai grabbing a separate arm, they manage to move the thing back to the house.

'Son of a bitch! Ok, I'm planetside now.' Jaune thinks to himself. Even though his HUD was deactivated, he could still see out of the visor. Using his neural link, he deactivates the suit's lockdown.

"Ok, what is this thi-" Yang was cut off when the thing goes limp. "That was a thing."

"Yeah no kidding." Tai says.

"So dad, any more ideas?" Yang asks.

"Nope. Wait for it to wake up I guess?" Tai responds.

Inside the suit, Jaune was starting the suit basic functions backup. Moving his head around, he could see five humans looking at him funnily. 'I must be on a human world then. Thank go-. Wait, did I pass a shattered moon?' Then the realization hits him, right as his helmet microphones come back online.

"SON OF A BITCH!" His yell causes the five people to jump back in shock, and two one of them in anger.

"Language!" The older woman yells back.

Jaune simply makes a sound between a groan and a sigh. "Where did I land?"

"Patch Island. Why?" One the men asks, though more demands.

"Jesus fucking christ on a stick. Welcome Arc, you crazy, mad bastard." Jaune thinks out loud.

"Wait, Arc? Who are you?" The older woman asks.

"Better question: who are you?" Jaune asks.

"I'm Summer Rose, this is my daughter Ruby, and husband Qrow Branwen. And our friend Tai Xiao Long and his daughter Yang Xiao Long." Summer says.

"UNSC Sierra Arc-034. Spartan II class 1. You can call me Arc or Jaune, whichever you prefer." Jaune says.

"So Jaune, what are you doing here? Better yet, how did you fall so far?" Tai asks.

"Umm, you won't believe me." Jaune states, while setting up.

"Try us." Yang says.

"I fell from beyond the moon." Jaune bluntly states. The five people simply looked at him like he was crazy.

"THAT'S SO COOL! I told you all it was a space rock!" Ruby yells out, causing everyone there to flinch, even Jaune.

"You're telling me you came from space. And you expect us to believe that?" Qrow asks.

"Yeah. Told you wouldn't believe me." Jaune said. He then noticed Qrow getting a flask. "Care to share?"

"I have more inside." Qrow said.

"Thanks. I need a drink." Jaune said.

"You sound like you've been through alot." Yang says. Jaune then proceeds to stand up. Shocking everyone by his height.

"Yeah, more than a lot. Not a lot of it is child friendly." Jaune says. The six then walks to the house.

"Say, can you take that armor off?" Yang asks.

"Nope. It's more like a second skin to us spartans." Jaune says. Walking into the house, the floor under him groans.

"You mentioned spartans before, what are they?" Summer asks. Qrow then tosses a bottle of whiskey at Jaune. Taking his helmet off, everyone could see his relatively young age.

'He's no older than my daughter' Qrow, Tai, and Summer thought universally.

"Spartans are genetically augmented supersoldiers. Not alot I can tell you that is classified above top secret. I'm risking what I can tell as is." Jaune says, then taking a swig of whiskey.

"What _can_ you tell us?" Tai asked.

"Well, we trained to be the protector of humanity. What use that is right now." Jaune mumbles out the last part loud enough for the other to hear him.

"What's wrong?" Ruby asked.

"Today marks the day we received our augmentations. 75 went in, 33 were left, the rest were dead, or were crippled." Jaune says, looking down at the floor.

"Wait, only 33 of 75 were left? What was the point!?" Summer asked.

"To make the best soldiers possible. To make a weapon." Jaune says, then taking another swig of whiskey.

"So what, you're a weapon?" Qrow asks.

"About right. Though, our first mission was against insurrectionists." Jaune says.

"Insurr- what?" Ruby asked.

"Human rebels. Excuse me for a minute." Jaune says, putting the whiskey down and putting his helmet back on, then walking outside.

"Are we ok with letting him stay?" Summer asked.

"Ozpin could find a use for him. Maybe a professor, with his experience." Tai says.

"Is that wise though? Letting him be so close to people he could never associate with." Qrow says.

"Yang could keep an eye on him, she's going to leave for Beacon in three days." Summer says. Ruby, who has been thinking this entire time, runs outside, using her semblance. "Where is she going?"

"Yang? Go find Ruby please." Tai says. Yang quickly follows Ruby, using her trail of ruby petals. "But yes, I think it is. I get the idea that his childhood was military training."

"So, he's with Atlas then?" Qrow asked.

"No. I don't think so. Atlas has no space program at all. No one can go to space." Tai says.

"I'll call Ozpin then." Qrow says.

"He could leave with me, I leave tomorrow." Summer says.

"Alright, it's a plan then." Tai says.

Outside, Ruby had caught up with Jaune, he was where they dragged him to the house. He was cutting a piece of the rock he fell with.

"What are doing?" Ruby asked. She was half expecting Jaune to jump or be startled, but he didn't.

"Cutting a piece of rock. This was my heat shield. Likely allowed me to survive reentry." Jaune says.

"Reentry?" Yang asked, from behind Ruby, also scaring Ruby in the process.

"Entering the atmosphere of a planet, or anything with a thick enough of an atmosphere." Jaune says. From the rock, a clunk like sound, then Jaune stands up, with a smaller piece of rock in his hand. "A memoir." He whispers to himself.

"Come on guys, let's head back to the house." Yang says.

Inside, the three adults of the house were waiting in the kitchen for the kids to return, hopefully with Jaune. "Arc, why does that name sound familiar?" Summer asked no one in particular.

"The Arc family rules the Kingdom of Arcadia, so maybe that?" Tai asked.

"What's the likelihood that this, 'Jaune', is an Arc?" Qrow asked. Then the other three walk back in.

"Let's ask him. Jaune, what does the name Arc mean to you?" Summer asked.

"Everything. Why?" Jaune asked, taking his helmet off again, and putting that, and the rock, on the kitchen counter.

"There's a family here on Remnant called the Arcs. Does that mean anything to you?" Summer says. Jaune simply looks at the ground, then the window, thinking.

"-Sigh- My last name is Arc, so yeah, I'm an Arc." Jaune says.

The three adults eyes opened in shock. "Where have you been?" Summer asked.

"Classified." Jaune replies.

"Classified?! What do you mean classified? Do you know how many people you hurt? How many still mourn your death?!" Summer yelled.

"And what am I supposed to do about it. Walk in through the front door, say 'I'm not dead. I just became a soldier while I was gone.'?" No one said anything. "I didn't think so. And why do you care?"

"We were there, at your funeral. All of us. Even my sister Raven." Qrow said.

"Raven was a mentor. She was hired to give sword training." Jaune said.

"That makes sense then." Qrow says.

"Regardless, you're coming with me to Vale. The Headmaster of Beacon, Ozpin, may be able to help you." Summer says.

"When do we leave?"

"Tomorrow at 7. Be ready." Summer says. Jaune simply nods then walks out of the house again. Outside, Jaune found a patch of flowers to sit down in and think.

'Should I have told them more? No, UNSC protocol labels everything we've done above top secret. But she said everyone thinks I'm dead. I'm a literal ghost walking. What can I do?' Jaune then takes some deep breaths. 'Ok, this Ozpin sounds like someone who would be able to help. But my armor's gonna be a problem. I need to find a way to get it off.'

"Jaune, are you ok?" A voice asked from behind. Turning around, he sees Ruby standing there.

"I will be Ruby. Don't worry about me." Jaune says.

"But you're not ok. You wanna be with friends." Ruby says.

"They're not just my friends Ruby, they're my brothers and sisters. My family."

"But what about your family here?"

"They may be my family by blood, but us spartans are family by experience. We will always help each other out. If one is lost in hell, we get him out. There's no real other way to put it into words."

"What about putting things into words?" Another voice asked from behind Ruby, it was Yang.

"Describing the relationship we spartans have. There's no way to describe it unless you were one." Jaune states.

"It must've been rough." Yang says.

"Rough?" Jaune scoffs at the word. "Rough is not the word I would've used. The word I would've used is cruel, unrelenting."

"Why?" Ruby asked.

"There was nothing that makes a childhood. In the program, you learn military doctrines, hand-to-hand combat. Different ways to kill a man. You name it, we probably learned it." Then Jaune realized his mistake. "Shit. I've already told you too much. You can tell your parents, but not another soul unless I say so."

Ruby simply furiously nodded, while Yang simply raised an eyebrow. "What if I do?"

Jaune simply started at her, into her eyes, into her soul, somewhat scaring her. "Pray you do not." Then Qrow walked in.

"Pray she doesn't do what?" He asked.

"Nothing. Is there something you wanted?" Jaune asked.

"Yeah I wanted to talk to you. Alone." Qrow replied. Yang and Ruby getting the meaning, went back to the house.

"So, speak your mind." Jaune said.

"You said classified a lot. What can you tell me that's not classified?"

"Depends on the question."

"Birthdate."

"Classified."

"Alright, let's play this game. Place of birth."

"Classified."

"Place of training?"

"Classified."

"Friends." This got Jaune to stop.

"Classified. Though I was assigned to Blue team."

"Alright, that's a start. Who was on this 'Blue team'?"

"Myself, Master Chief Petty Officer Sierra-117, Petty Officer First Class Sierra-087, and Warrant Officer Sierra-052."

"Your teammates and fellow spartans?"

"Correct."

"Your opinion of Atlas."

"Counter question: who's in charge and what's he/she like?"

"General Ironwood. He's, hmm, he likes to make people feel safe, but does it all wrong."

"How so?"

"He takes entire fleets with him wherever he goes."

"Is there a war going on?"

"No. Just the undeclared war on the grimm."

"Then it's a waste of resources, manpower, and time. When he could, I don't know, clear out smaller island for colonization."

"Not what I would use those three things for, but not a bad idea. What about Ironwood?"

"Sounds like he's using to much force. Don't get me wrong , shows of strength are necessary and good, if used correctly. Like parades or propaganda."

"Moving on. What's this war you were talking about?"

"It's called the Human-Covenant War. The Covenant is an alien religious alliance? Regardless, they called for a holy war on humanity, and it's been waging for about three years. Long story short, we're outmanned, outgunned, and have inferior technology. We're losing the war."

"How bad?"

"Badly. A few dozen star systems lost with several billion dead. With only a few million covenant dead. It's a defensive war."

"That bad?"

"Yes."

"Listen. I know you told me you are a warrior, but you could be needed here."

"How so?"

"I'll let Ozpin decide, but trust me, if your gonna get involved, you can't simply leave again. Not without a warning."

"And if I do?"

"You make a lot of people unhappy." Jaune simply raised an eyebrow.

"Really? I could've told you that."

"Seriously though, a few powerful people know about this. Summer, myself, Ozpin, Goodwitch, and Ironwood."

"Why are you telling me this? Seems like you're taking a massive risk."

"You're right, I am. Something tells me you won't go out your way to fuck us though."

"You're right, I won't. Unless you give me a reason too."

"Give you a reason to do what?" Summer asked from behind.

"Nothing. Nothing important." Jaune said.

"Don't worry about a thing. I talked with Ozpin, he'll take a look at you. He's very good at reading people."

'So am I.' Jaune thinks. "Alright. Let me know when we leave." Qrow and Summer head back inside while Jaune continued to relax in the flower patch.

"So what did I walk in on?" Summer asked.

"I told Jaune he will be needed here, but nothing more."

"Why did you tell him that?"

"Believe me when I say it, he may be what we need to beat the queen."

"-Sigh- You may be right. Will he leave us like Raven did?"

"I don't know. He may not. That's the gamble we'll have to take. In the end I'll leave it to Ozpin."

"Then let's hope he stays." Tai then runs inside.

"Qrow, Summer, Jaune's talking about something." Qrow and Summer look at each other, then follow Tai out.

"Audio log timestamp, 18:33. Date unknown. I'm home. Remnant, not Reach. I met a family of five, I guess. Doesn't matter." Then Tai, Qrow,Summer arrive.

"The slipspace bubble I was caught in must've hit another or something, I don't know. Regardless, I'm leaving tomorrow for Beacon Academy to met someone named Ozpin. From what I'm told, he's the headmaster of the school."

"Wait slipspace?" Tai whispered to Qrow.

"Don't know anymore than you do." Tai whispers back.

"I've been thinking about Blue team, and the rest of my fellow spartans. Gear wise, I've got with what I can with: my DMR, magnum, a few grenades, and a plasma rifle and grenade I picked up. I will back another audio log in the morning, for now I'm going to rest. Sierra-034 signing off."

 **Hey guys! So finally this chapter is finished and the fun has moved to Remnant! Also, Merry Christmas! Or whatever you celebrate. Let me know what you guys think of this chapter.**

Omake TIME!

-Expendables.-

"So let me get this straight: You hired a mercenary group to look into the queen?" Qrow asked, Ozpin. In the office was, Ironwood, Winter, and Pyrrha. Winter, Pyrrha, and the entirety of Beacon's staff. had be brought into the circle after the failed attack on Beacon. Had Ironwood not have multi redundant servers for his droids, the damage could've been complete.

"Yes Qrow. Though I think you'll recognize the name: The Expendables." Qrow and Winter raised an eyebrow.

"The Expendables huh? Not bad, I approve." Qrow said.

"Just like that? And who are they?" Pyrrha asked.

"The Expendables are more than your average mercenary group. They're made up of both active and retired hunters. As well as others who never got into a combat school, or those who dropped out." Qrow explained.

"I can attest to this. They are no slouches. They are good at what they do. And they don't like leaving something unfinished." Winter said.

"So, when do they arrive?" Oobleck asked.

"Right now." Another voice said from behind. Turning around, they all saw a face that they had not seen in a year: Jaune Arc.

"Welcome back Mr. Arc." Ozpin said.

"Jaune?" Pyrrha whispered out.

"Good to be back." Jaune said, coming out of the elevator, allowing everyone to see his appearance. He had a belt of ammo along his chest with rifle magazines. On his back, was a rifle of some kind. It had a weathered look to it, and a wooden stock, handle grip, and fore hand grip. It also had a curved magazine, the same as the ones on his ammo belt. He had a black, long sleeved shirt on and black pants and combat boots. He had a big muscle build then when he left, and several scars on his face."So, sounds like I missed a lot."

"More than a lot Mr. Arc. Where are you fellow Expendables?" Goodwitch asked.

"Offshore fight now. Your request was very last minute." Jaune said.

"I understand. We need help. James." Ozpin said.

"Mr. Arc, are you aware of the name Cinder Fall?" Ironwood asked. He nodded. "Good. She was responsible for the attack on Beacon, and the attempted hacking of our droids. We're asking the Expendables to do one thing: find Cinder Fall, and report back to us." Jaune raised an eyebrow.

"We were told to hunt down a target and eliminate them, not recon. You want recon, you find someone else. Cause if we find her, we will kill her." Jaune said. Ozpin simply sighed.

"If we double your pay, will you do it?" Ozpin asked.

"Triple, and you have a deal." Jaune said. Everyone else in the room looked at each other.

"Deal. I will have her last known location sent to your scrolls." Ozpin said.

"We have no scrolls. We do everything low tech. Harder to track that way." Jaune said.

"I have a contact in Vale. A man named Sadcliffe, tell him I sent you." Qrow said.

"Good hunting Mr Arc!" Port yelled out.

"Good luck with the mess up here." Jaune said, then walking back into the elevator, then taking it down.


	4. New Workplace

Hey guys, I'm back! So update: I've got a new computer, yay! New thing to watch movies and other shit on, yay! Also, binge watching mythbusters because I can. Anyways, let's get started! Later note: updated my account with current story ideas and will post new ones as I think of them. No idea how many will be actually written.

Darkspartan116: No. Maybe.

Smurphy1999: Thank you.

Karlos1234ify: Again, thank you.

Desultorynights: One: True, second: Remember when it said human genetic material detected?

Darkrising32: Whenever I get Titanfall 2.

"Character Dialogue"

'Character thoughts'

" _Radio dialogue"_

The next morning, Jaune was awoken by his helmet's internal alarm clock. Cursing softly he got up from his 'bed' outside. Then the memories of the last 10 hours kicked in. 'Right, saved Kelly, got sucked into a slipspace 'bubble'? I guess? Also," Jaune thought as he looked up at the moon. "I'm home."

"You know, talking to yourself is not a sign mental stability." A voice said behind him. Turning around, he saw Yang standing there, still in here night wear.

"What are you doing up? From anything I learned yesterday, you are not a morning person." Jaune said.

"True, but moms leaving this morning with you, wanna say goodbye." Yang said. Jaune simply raised an eyebrow.

"But you're gonna see her in two days, right? You're gonna be attending Beacon." Jaune said.

"Yeah, but Ruby's not and Uncle Qrow is gonna be leaving too. He was work outside the kingdom to do, he's leaving with mom." Yang said, looking down slightly.

"Well, you never know. She could surprise you."

Yang simply scoffed. "Yeah right, unless she somehow gets let in early."

"She may just."

"Yeah right, that's not gonna happen. I'm being honest." Yang said the last part quietly.

"Chin up Yang, two more days till you enter the big leagues." Jaune said, with a soft smile.

"He is right Yang. Two more days, and you'll be at Beacon." Another voice said from behind, it was Taiyang.

"You're damn right she is. So, when is Summer leaving?" Jaune asked.

"When she gets ready. So eager to leave us?" Tai asked.

"No, just, I was just taught to know your timetable. Keeps things organized." Jaune said.

"Not a bad skill." Tai said back.

"Tai, Yang, Jaune, come on inside." Qrow said from the balcony. The three looked at each other, then walked back inside. Inside, Summer was talking to Ruby.

"Saying goodbye?" Jaune asked.

"Yes. we'll be leaving in ten minutes, get ready." Summer said. Jaune then walked back out.

"I'll miss you mom." Ruby cried a little.

"And I'll miss you too Ruby. Stay safe." Summer said.

Outside, Jaune had his stuff in a dufflebag given to him by Tai. Inside, he had his weapons, moon rock, and his helmet. 'I wonder how things are going.' Jaune thinks while looking up at the sky.

"You ready?" Summer asked from behind.

"Already been five minutes?" Jaune asked.

"Yup, you missed it all." Qrow said.

"Shame." Jaune said back.

"Let's go. We have to be at the landing pads by 7." Summer said.

"We have a hour's walk then." Jaune said, getting up and putting his helmet on.

"Who said we were walking?" Summer asked. She pointed at something behind Jaune, turning around, he saw a truck of some kind, ready to go.

"Who's up for a challenge?" Jaune asked. The other five raised there hands. "I'll beat you there, on foot." Tai, Qrow, and Yang started laughing their asses off. Summer and Ruby simply raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah right. You couldn't." Tai said between breathes of air.

"Alright. Let's do it. We'll meet at the town square" Jaune said. The others nodded and got in the truck. Summer taking the wheel with Tai next to her, with the other three in the truck bed.

"You sure you don't wanna chicken out?" Yang teased.

"Nope. I'll let the ladies go first." Jaune smirked.

"Alright then, see you in town." Summer said, before hauling ass back to the nearby city. Putting his helmet on, his active map system, and marked an end point. 15.2 kilometers. Using a map he downloaded from a scroll, he found the closest trail for him would take him south, directly to the city. Turning south, he started his run to the south. Knowing the truck, he likely only had an hour or less to get there. 'No problem.' Jaune thinks to himself, with a smirk.

After facing the correct position, he starts running.

Meanwhile, with the truck, the two Xiao Long and Branwen families were driving down the road.

"You guys know he's gonna not follow the road, right?" Qrow asked.

"Yeah. But that's a lot of rough terrain. He'll be slowed down." Tai said.

"But what if he wins?" Ruby asked. The four other adults simply look at Ruby.

"I think he'll be civilized about it." Summer said. Somewhere else, for some reason, Jaune shuddered.

Around, thirty minutes later, the truck arrived in the city of Patch, and approached the town square. Looking around, they couldn't find anything, "I guess we beat him." Yang said triumphantly.

"Yeah, no you didn't." Jaune said, scaring Yang and Ruby and catching Tai, Summer, and Qrow off guard. The five of them turning around, they saw Jaune sitting on the top of the truck.

"How did you-?"

"You'd be surprised how sneaky a man in half a ton of armor is Qrow." Jaune said, cutting off Qrow.

"Wait, half a ton?" Ruby asked.

'Shit.' "Uhh, yeah. This armor weighs half a ton." Jaune said.

"Wow. How do you move with all that weight?" Yang asked. Under his helmet, Jaune was smirking.

"Simple. Magic." Yang and Ruby simply looked disappointed while the three adults started judging him again, hella hard.

"That's not a real answer." Yang said.

"That's bull. I could say, it is beyond your reach." Jaune said. Summer and Tai started snickering, while Qrow simply gained a smile.

"Stop with the puzzles and riddles!" Yang yelled.

"What puzzles and riddles? Would you like me to start some?" Jaune asked. 'Mind games are the best.'

"NO! Anything but that!" Yang yelled again. By this point Tai was holding his sides while Summer was supporting herself on Qrow.

"Stop laughing with him!" Yang yelled.

"Sorry Yang. That was too funny." Tai said, after controlling his laughing.

"You're not sorry." Yang said. Ruby was pouting to Jaune to tell more about his armor, or at least his weapons.

"Please Jaune? What about the rifle on your back?" Jaune could be audibly laughing at her pouting.

"Alright fine. It's a DMR. Designated Marksman Rifle. Basically, a smaller, more mobile sniper rifle." Jaune said. Ruby was about ask another question, however she was cut off by Summer.

"I'm sure you can ask all the questions you want later Ruby, but our airship leaves in five minutes." Summer said.

"Aww. I'll miss you mom." Ruby said, before giving her mom another hug.

"I'll miss you too. I'll try visit you and Tai as often as I can." Summer said.

"Try not let Yang break too much." Tai said.

"No promises."

"Hey! That's not nice." Yang said.

"Ready to go?" Qrow asked.

"Yeah/Yup." Summer and Jaune said.

"We'll call when we get there." Qrow said. Then he, Summer, and Jaune walked towards the airship.

"Stay safe!" Ruby said, while the three others walked away. About ten minutes later, the three of them were on board the airship. The inside of the airship was clearly made for luxury, not utility. It had several decks for passengers, crew, and storage with several external areas of the ship for enjoying outside air. Inside one of the rooms, Jaune, Qrow, and Summer were simply sitting around. Qrow was laying in bed reading something, while Summer was on her scroll next to him. Jaune was sitting in the corner without his helmet on , also reading from a scroll graciously loaned to him by Qrow.

"Anything I need to know about?" Jaune asked, looking up from the scroll.

"About what?" Qrow asked.

"Ozpin. Anything I need to know about him?"

"He loves his riddles and not giving you a straight answer. He gives you a direction for your answers, rather than giving them to you straight." Summer said.

"Anything else?" Jaune asked.

"You'll have to find out." Summer said. Sighing, Jaune got up and headed to an observation deck, leaving Qrow's scroll on the desk. Once on the observation deck, Jaune headed out on the balcony, leaning on a rail, he looked out over the land, or in this case, ocean.

"Wanna be alone as well?" A voice, female, said from behind. Turning around, he saw a woman with not much in terms of covering herself, and green hair.

"Yeah, though likely for very different reasons." Jaune said. "Why are you up here?"

"Getting away from my partner. Though I could use some fresh air." The woman replied. "What's your name?"

"Jaune. Just Jaune. Yours?" Jaune said.

"Emerald. What's taking you to Vale?" Emerald asked.

"Dropped into Patch, now I'm being dragged to Beacon." Jaune said.

"Beacon? Who did you drop in on?" Emerald asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

"Summer Rose and Qrow Branwen."

Emerald's eyebrows shot straight up. "What?! And they didn't kill you?!"

"Yupp. Still alive, mostly."

"Mostly?"

"Let's just say I left some things behind. Some things I would've liked to have seen to the end." Jaune felt Emerald pat his back.

"You never know, it might find it's way back here." Jaune let out a small laugh.

"Pray it doesn't. So, what's your reason to be going to Vale?" Jaune asked.

"Visiting some family. Then back to Mistral. I'm attending the academy there." Emerald said.

"Ah, well good for you then." Jaune said with a smile on the outside. 'Bullshit. If you really were, you would've done that by now. What are you hiding?'

"What's with the armor? Atlas prototype?"

"No actually. Where it was made, well, I would have to kill you if I told you." Jaune said. Emerald's eyes shot up a little before coming down.

"And why is that?"

"That is not something you need to know." Jaune said, looking over the balcony still. In the distance, the outline of Vale could be seen. And with his enhanced eyesight, he could see what he assumed to be Beacon. 'Almost there.'

"Is there anything you can tell about it?" Emerald asked.

"Nope."

"Why not?"

"Because I can't." Jaune said, causing Emerald to grit her teeth a little.

"You are starting to annoy me." Emerald said. Jaune simply laughed.

"You're not making it very hard." Having enough, Emerald left the balcony. Deciding not to test her luck, she let him be. Staying there, Jaune continued to look over the horizon, seeing Vale continue to rise over it. A few minutes later, another person comes up to the balcony. Looking behind him, it was simply a member of the crew. Ignoring him, he goes back to looking over the horizon.

"Hey, you there!" Someone yelled from behind. Turning around, Jaune could see a couple of men looking at him, they weren't human. 'Ok, they're faunus.'

"Yes, can I help you?" Jaune said in the most polite voice possible.

"Yeah, this is the only place to talk in peace, you mind leaving?" The forward most man asked. Jaune took note of the bullhorns and black hair.

"Not at all." Jaune said, leaving his place at the edge of the balcony. As he was walking past, he saw what looked like a grimm mask. 'Grimm mask huh? Wonder what the White Fang is doing here.' As he was walking back to the room, he spotted a wall mounted map, studying it, he saw two more balconies like the one he just left. Making his choice, he heads to the top of the ship.

Upon reaching the balcony, he saw why the group of faunus wanting some peace. It was packed. 'Jesus christ, so many people.' Looking in the crowd, he spies Summer and Qrow, their clothes are slightly disheveled. 'Hmm, must've had some fun while I was gone.' Deciding to leave them in peace, he chose the opposite side of the balcony. Though balcony wasn't the word he would've used. It was more like the top forward and rear sections of the ship was flattened and surrounded in a barrier and turned into an observation area. Leaning against the barrier, he looks towards Vale and waits.

Some time later, Jaune is awoken by someone shaking him. Opening his eyes, he looks over to see Summer.

"Summer."

"Wakey wakey. We're nearly there." She said, with a soft smile.

"Thanks Summer, I'll be down soon." Jaune said. 'When in the hell did I fall asleep?' Looking back out, he could see the airship was starting to land inside , he heads down to the cabin. Walking inside, he saw Summer and Qrow getting ready. "How long was I out?"

"About thirty minutes, give or take a few minutes." Qrow said.

"What caused that?" Summer asked.

"Simply getting used to not getting shot at for a change." Jaune said, grabbing his duffle bag and checking it.

" _Attention passengers, we have landed, please proceed to the exits in an orderly fashion."_ The ship's intercom said.

"Alright, let's get going." Qrow said.

"I'll see you guys down there." Jaune said, as he grabbed his duffle bag and leaves the room. A few minutes later, he arrived at the docking port he, Summer, and Qrow walked in and waited. Some time later, he feels a hand touch his arm. Looking over, he saw Summer and Qrow.

"Ready?" Qrow asked.

"Ladies first Qrow." Jaune said. Summer giggled at his comment. The three of them then left the airship. Stepping outside, he saw the amount of people in the city, everyone stood out among the crowd, nothing like in the UNSC.

"Enjoying the view?" Qrow asked from his left.

"Yeah, don't know if I've been to Vale before." Jaune responded. Looking around, he saw something that caused him to stop, a woman his age, with his blonde hair and blue eyes. 'Where have I seen her from?'

"Alright, our bullhead just landed, it's in bay 3." Summer said.

"Copy that, lead the way." Jaune said. Qrow and Summer simply raised an eyebrow, but ignored his strange behavior. Following Summer, they all arrived at a bullhead, waiting there, was another blonde haired woman with some kind of cap.

"Summer, Qrow, good to see you again." The woman said, giving the smallest smile, then she sees Jaune. "Is this him?"

"Good to see you too Glynda, and yes, it is." Summer said. Jaune simply raised an eyebrow.

"Your name is Jaune, correct?" Glynda asked.

"Yes ma'am." Jaune responded.

"Good. You are to come with us to Beacon. Please enter the bullhead." Glynda said, before getting onboard with the other two hunters.

"She's definitely cheerful." Jaune said quietly. Getting onboard, he set his duffel bag near Qrow and Summer's bags. After taking off, Jaune took off his helmet and simply stared into it.

"Are you really an Arc like Summer says you are?' Glynda asked.

"Mostly. With a few extra pieces." Jaune said, not looking away from the helmet's visor.

"And where have you been?" Glynda asked. Jaune could hear the bitterness.

"Classified. And no, I wasn't with Atlas before you ask." Jaune said. This caused Glynda to relax a little, but still looks over to Qrow and Summer.

"Yeah, he was like that. We _really_ had to pry to get him to talk." Qrow asked.

"It wasn't that bad." Summer corrected. Glynda simply sighed, deciding she will get her answers with Ozpin, but she still wasn't happy. She was there, at his funeral, she was just as shocked when Raven showed up, though she knew why.

Inside Jaune's head, he was having similar emotions, though rather than bitterness, it was sadness, sorrow. He could still vividly see the funeral they held for their fellow spartans that didn't survive their augments. He still felt some pain from it, however small it was. He could still see the caskets, the flags, the uniforms, the look of loss and pain from himself, and his fellow spartans in the window's reflection. It's not something he wanted to continue to see.

"You alright?" Summer asked. 

"Yeah, I will be." Jaune said. The three hunters could see something was wrong, but didn't pry. After about a minute of flying, they could feel the bullhead land.

"Professors, we have landed, you may depart." The pilot said.

Upon exiting, Jaune could only whistle. "Damn, not as big as I remember."

"The academy had a major addition and modernization project in the last five years. Everything was brought up to modern standards, including new training droids and drones." Glynda explained. "Please follow me Ozpin's office." Simply nodding, Jaune followed Glynda to the main tower. While walking, Jaune could see hints and reminders of the old builds and older past. There were a lot of old looking gardens and outside resting and eating areas. The buildings reminded him of something he would see in a higher level university back in the UNSC.

"Somethings never change." Jaune whispered out, though enough for Glynda to hear.

"What was that?" She asked.

"Nothing, just being reminded of home." Jaune said.

'Our buildings look nothing like the ones in Arcadia though, what is this home you're referring to?' Glynda thought. When they walked in the building, they could see several people painting the walls to a nice red color. Before he knew it, they were in the elevator heading up to Ozpin's office. When the doors open all Jaune could see was gears. 'So many gears, what is with him?'

"Ozpin." Glynda called out. The man, Ozpin, was speaking with someone via scroll.

"I'm sorry councilers, I'm needed by Goodwitch, but thank you for bringing this to my attention." Ozpin said, before the call was ended.

"Have a seat." Jaune and Glynda sat down in the two chairs that Glynda grabbed with her semblance. "So, where have you been Mr Arc?"

"Elsewhere." Jaune said, 'Time to be very vague.' Behind him, the elevator opened again, only this time, Summer, Qrow, and three other professors exited.

"So this is him?" The other female professor asked.

"Sweet jesus, what have I gotten myself into?" Jaune asked.

"I could ask you the same question, but I'll ask again, where have you been? A simple question." Ozpin said in a surprisingly voice.

"You wouldn't believe me." Jaune said.

"Oh, Summer and Qrow told me what you told them. I simply want more details." Ozpin said.

"Off world." Jaune replied.

"Off world?" One of the other two professors asked from behind.

"Yes, off world." Jaune said again.

"I'm sorry but that's not possible." Glynda said.

"But it is." Does the name UNSC mean anything to you?" Jaune asked.

"UNSC?" Ozpin asked.

"Wait, that armor you have one has that on it. Along with an eagle with, a banner under it. That's the same symbol Raven told me about." Glynda said.

"Yeah, that sounds about right." Jaune said.

"What does that mean exactly?" The other male professor asked.

"United Nations Space Command." Jaune said.

"United Nations Space Command. That doesn't exist." The same professor said.

"He might have some amount of dementia Oobleck. We can run several medical tests to test his physical and mental status?" The other female professor asked.

"I'm afraid not Peach. But Doctor Oobleck is correct, that does not exist." Ozpin said.

"And does that have anything to do with your disappearance over ten years ago? Glynda asked.

"ONI's gonna have my head I'm done with today. Long story short, I was conscripted by the UNSC for project Orion, even the discovery of the Remnant was a few weeks old." Jaune explained.

"Wait, conscripted/Discovered?" Summer and Oobleck asked.

"Yes. Discovered and conscripted." Jaune confirmed.

"So, this UNSC discovers our planet, only to kidnap someone?" Ozpin asked.

"From what I know, not their original memo, but it simply happened." Jaune said.

"So, they find us, only to take you. Why you?" Summer asked.

Jaune sighed. "I'm sorry I can't say about that." Jaune said.

Before anyone could continue, Ozpin spoke up. "Then let us change the subject, how about your armor."

"What about it?" Jaune asked.

"What is made of?" Ozpin asked.

"A titanium composite and several other classified materials" Jaune replied.

"A titanium composite? Then how do you take it off, and how does it weigh?" Oobleck asked.

"Weight is half a ton. And to get it off, I need equipment made specifically made to take the armor off." Jaune explained.

"But no normal person, human or faunus, could stay in that armor, unless they were modified somehow. Were you modified in anyway?" Summer asked.

"Yeah, all 75 of us received genetic modifications for this purpose." Jaune said.

"So, 74 others exist then, right?" Glynda asked.

"Only 33 of us survived the augments. The rest were either dead or, crippled." Jaune said, now looking down at the floor.

"Only 33 of 75? I believe that is enough of this topic. My new question how did you return to us?" Ozpin asked.

"Honestly, no idea." Jaune lied through his teeth.

"Does the term, slipspace, mean anything to you?" Summer asked. Jaune simply turned around to glare at Summer.

"Yes, slipspace is the main FTL method used by the UNSC." Jaune said.

"FTL?" Qrow asked.

"Faster than light travel. Very impressive indeed." Oobleck said.

"It appears we are not alone anymore." Ozpin said.

"Indeed. So, what are you going to do with me?" Jaune asked.

"There are a few options I have. One: I let you leave, and you can continue your life as you see fit. Two: I can contact your family and let them know you are here. Or three: you can solve a problem we have here at the academy." Ozpin said.

"Problem?" Jaune asked.'

"We can train our students in variety of methods to survive, however, one problem we have the lack of training in hand to hand combat. Perhaps you can fix this problem." Ozpin said.

"What training do you have in hand to hand combat?" Glynda asked.

"Hand to hand combat was the first thing we were taught. I continued my training in private with several of my fellow spartans after we moved on." Jaune said.

"That would mean at least 10 years of experience." Glynda said.

"Correct. Port, Oobleck, Peach you may leave, there are a few more things I would like to discuss with Mr. Arc in private." The three other, now named professors, left the same way they came in.

"There are a few other things I would like to talk to you about." Ozpin said.

"Such as?" Jaune asked.

"Your family and something else." Ozpin replied.

"What about my family?" Jaune asked with a raised eyebrow

"It will be impossible for you maintain a high level position, especially in Vale. And what is your favorite fairy tale?" Ozpin asked.

"I haven't kept up on Remnant's fairy tales." Jaune replied.

"Well, one of them is true." Ozpin said.

"Which one?"

"The story of the maidens." Ozpin said.

"The story of the maidens? Isn't that the one with the wizard and some other shit." Jaune said.

"Yes, that is the one. Not long ago, one of the maidens was attack and part of her powers was taken. She is life support under the school. She was attacked by a pawn working for Salem."

"Salem? And that doesn't sound like something that could just be taken." Jaune said.

"Not much is known about Salem. And you're correct, it's not something that could be simply taken. When a maiden dies, her powers either go the last female in her thoughts, or they go to someone at random. She is the current fall maiden." Ozpin said.

"Ok, sorry, but I must ask, why not have Glynda or Summer made into the fall maiden, or there is a catch?" Jaune asked.

"Summer is the current Summer maiden, and Glynda was offered but declined. And there is a catch. We have no idea what will happen if to the other half of the maiden's powers if she dies. For we all know, it's currently acting like a magnet for the woman who attacked her." Qrow stated.

"Qrow is correct. We have no idea what will happen. For all we know, the two halves will try and reconnect, in the thief." Ozpin said.

"Ok, I'm going to go out on a limb and say you're this wizard then" Jaune said.

"You're correct. I'm the current wizard who watches over the maidens." Ozpin said.

"Ok, so let's make a head count then, we have the Summer maiden behind me, the official Fall Maiden under us. That leaves then the Winter and Spring maidens left." Jaune said.

"We know who the current Winter maiden is, but not the Spring maiden. That is Qrow's job." Glynda says.

"So, when do I start?" Jaune asked.

"Your first as professor will be a minor one, during initiation we have one or more professors watching over the students, you will fill this role since we had two professors retire from the academy. You will shadow the students in your armor until they return the academy. However, during the next two days, you will be following the students that will be attending and reviewing them. Choose those you feel like need hand to hand training." Ozpin said.

"Understood. Where will I be staying?" Jaune asked.

"There is teacher's dorm on the south side of the landing pads, your room number is room 4B. Glynda, please take Mr. Arc to his room please." Ozpin said, both Jaune and Glynda got out of their seats, and left.

"How do you plan on getting out of your armor?"

"If I remember correctly, semblances have a range of abilities and uses. I'm hoping that there might be someone that can control magnetism. He or she should be able to manipulate the locks on the armor." Jaune explained.

"How tight is that armor exactly?" Glynda asked. The doors opened up, and they proceeded to leave the building.

"The armor itself doesn't feel tight, however, the armor, when fully lock together can survive a full vacuum for a limited time." Jaune said. Glynda's eyebrow raised slightly.

"A full vacuum? And only for a limited time?"

"Air is the main limiter. Also, any puncture can be compromised in a full vacuum, and it doesn't take a genius to figure out what would happen if that occurs." Jaune said.

"Yeah, nothing one wants to see." Glynda said. They soon arrived at, what Jaune assumed was the teacher's dorm. The building itself was a two story building with the same outer style as the student dorms. When they got in, Jaune could assume that the interior of the building was different than the student's dorm interior. The inside was a mostly hollow section. On the first floor, Jaune could see the various professor's offices, seeing how they hand their name and office next to each other.

"Your office will be on the far left, next to Summer's. Your room will be directly above it. If you need anything, please, do not be afraid to ask." Glynda said, before heading into her office. Jaune then proceeded to head up stairs to his room. Upon entering, Jaune first saw a small living room and kitchen area. On his left was his bedroom and bathroom.

Throwing his duffle bag on the counter, he takes everything out of it. First his DMR and the ammo he has for it. Then the plasma rifle and grenade. Next he pulled out his helmet and the rock he took from his heat shield. Finally, he pulled his magnum, two frag grenades, and his knife. Feeling thirsty, he walks over to the fridge, he sees a pitcher of water in it. While drinking, he notices a scroll on the coffee table. Picking it up, he sees he has a note on the side.

"Hope you remember how to use this." Jaune says out loud. "Let's find out." He says, picking up the scroll. Pressing the button on the bottom, it expands out showing him the main screen. On it, he sees he has a message.

' _If you've read this message than good. I've taken the liberty to contact your family. I'll let you know what they send back.'_

"God dammit Ozpin. Oh well." Jaune said, rolling his shoulders and putting the scroll next to the rest of his things.

'Alright, time to settle in."

Hey, I'm the main editor. Nice to finally say something. Just wanted to pop in and say that I'm glad everyone is enjoying the story.

Glad to see your having fun.

Eh, it's definitely interesting.

DAMN STRAIGHT IT IS!

Until next time. See ya.

Nerd.

Fag.


	5. Initation and Answers

**Hey guys, so sorry if this comes out before the Titanfall chapter, I'm just in a mood for some Halo action, can you guys blame me?**

Spiderwl: No prob!

Warhawk'42: Thanks

Guest: Small amounts of cackling from the author

Smurphy1999: All will .

HolyKnight: True, many tears will be shed. I gave some amount of thought to this, but I shoved it aside as it's not really relevant right now. Don't worry, to will come up again. Also, because I haven't stated it hard enough: Jaune replaces Sam in the main timeline!

Husebad: Most likely not.

"Character Dialogue"

'Character Thoughts'

" _Radio dialogue"_

' _Scroll messages'_

In the Beacon staff dorm building, a heavily armored person could be seen sitting on the floor, by the window, with a fairly large scroll in his hands. In the scroll, the identities and biography of every student that has been accepted in the academy could be seen. Outside, the sun had long since gone down, while reviewing the students, the staff member received an alert.

'Hmm, a new student has been added. Strange' Opening the student's ID, he was shocked. 'Uhh, what? How the hell did Ruby get in?' In front of him, a picture of Ruby Rose was in front of him.

'Attention staff, a new student has added by the request of Headmaster Ozpin'

'Ozpin huh, what did she do? Does Summer know?' He was shaken out of his thoughts by a knock at his door. Standing up and putting the scroll on the coffee table, he opens the door, at it was Qrow.

"Sup Qrow?" He asked.

"I assume you just figured out Ruby is attending Jaune? Also, can I come in?" Jaune stepped out of the doorway.

"Yeah, to both your questions. Does Summer know?" Jaune asked.

"I'm not sure," Qrow said while taking a seat on the couch. "I want to think she knew about it before it happened."

"How so?" Jaune said while leaning on the front wall. The only thing that could handle the weight of the Mjolnir armor.

"Summer was called away by Ozpin to head into Vale. A shop had been robbed by Roman Torchwick and someone had attacked them. Might've been Ruby." Qrow said.

"I don't know whether to congratulate her or otherwise. For now, I'm gonna congratulate her. Also, is it wise to bump her up by two years? That would almost make her seem special." Jaune said.

'If only you knew.' Qrow thought to himself. "Maybe. Buts he might have some of the skills to back it up. You'd be surprised how many students are bumped up by one year. Hell, I've recommended it a few times."

"Though bumping somebody up by two years has too much more rare." Jaune stated.

"Yeah, it's a bit more rare. Though not by that much, Maybe, once or twice a generation." Jaune simply laughed a little.

"Back on Reach, we were taught about several exceptional warriors throughout their history. Maybe she'll have a bigger to part play down the road."

"Maybe. Or maybe you're just overthinking it." Qrow said grinning.

"Hey, I can't help it. We Spartans tend to think and act fast and worry about everything later." Jaune said. Both he and Qrow laughed at that.

"Yeah, lots of hunters like to act first, then think about what the hell they did." Qrow said.

"Speaking from experience?"

"Yup. Made some rash decisions in the past, cost some lives." Qrow said.

"But others were saved. A thing I've learned is that every that costs lives, saves others. A few planets because of our decisions."

"You mentioned the war. Why are you staying here at Beacon, as a professor? It seems counterproductive." Qrow said.

"As far as I know, the UNSC no longer exists, wiped out by the covenant. As a spartan, we were trained to not only defend Earth and her colonies but humanity as a whole, from all threats, internal and external. That's I'm staying here. That and Remnant doesn't have orbital capabilities." Jaune said.

"So what were the other Spartans like?" Qrow asked.

"Most were more focused and no bullshit. There a few exceptions. Myself, Jorge, Kelly, Jerome when he decides to. There were others. Everyone had their, quirk to them." Jaune said, laughing slightly, remembering his fellow Spartans.

"Alright, I better get going before someone breaks something." Qrow said while getting off the couch.

"Yeah, I still got some more students to go through."

"Alright, I'll let you get to it." Qrow said, before leaving the room. Walking back over to the spot he was sitting in, he grabbed the scroll then sat down. 'Alright, I was on Ms. Xiao Long.' He thought while bringing up Yang's id.

The rest of the night went by near instantly. One minute he was awake, looking over Yang's Beacon profile, the next, he was getting smacked in the face by the sun, and very tired. Looking at his scroll, he saw it was around 7 in the morning and the students were due to arrive around noon.

Getting up, he walks over to the coffee pot and starts a brew. Hearing a knock at the door, Jaune walks over to the door, opening it, he could see Glynda.

"Morning Glynda." He said.

"Good morning Jaune. Making sure everyone is awake for today."

"Yeah, next round of students coming today. No rest for us." Jaune said. Behind him, the coffee machine started putting the black liquid in the pot.

"You're not. It also doesn't help that you arrived three days ago." Glynda said, still with her stoic face.

"Yeah, I kinda dropped in." Glynda simply glared at him. "Alright, no more." Her glare lessened a little bit.

"Good. I need to go check on Bart."

"Good luck with that by the way." She turned and walked off, likely completely ignoring his comment. Closing the door, he walked back over to the coffee, which was done making the pot. Pouring a cup he walked over to the window, which looked over Vale. 'Reminds me of New Alexandria a little, just not enough skyscrapers.' Though he wouldn't admit it to anyone, he preferred cities with shorter skyscrapers or built into mountains and/or hills. Sighing, he turned around and started walking around outside.

Since his arrival at Beacon three days ago, he's been somewhat of an enigma. Whenever he takes his daily walk around the campus, the students were looking at him with some curiosity, others fear, and others simply ignore him completely. By this point, just about every student has received their schedules with several of them attending his class. Continuing his walk, he arrived over the Beacon cliff side, seeing the Emerald Forest below, he saw a small amount of movement, very likely grimm.

"Are you alright? A voice asked from behind. Turning around, he sees a female student, specifically a female rabbit faunus.

"Yes, I'm alright. Just taking my daily walk while I can." Jaune said, then taking a sip of coffee.

"Are you a student?" She asked.

"No, I'm the hand to hand training professor this semester." Hearing this, her ears perked up a little.

"A professor? So your Professor Arc then?" She asked.

"That is correct. Are you attending my class miss?" Jaune asks.

"Velvet. My name is Velvet Scarlatina. And no, I'm not, but my teammate Fox is." Velvet replies.

"I see. Well, I look forward to starting this semester. First time in the kingdoms in awhile." Jaune said.

"Have you been outside the kingdoms?" Velvet asked,

"Yeah, been outside the kingdoms for the last 10 plus years. That's where I got my armor and weapons." Jaune said.

"I see. I must head back to my dorm. Thank you for the talk professor." Velvet said with a smile.

"My pleasure miss Scarlatina, anytime." Jaune said while Velvet walked off. Looking up, Jaune could see the sun was not yet at noon. 'Less than an hour before the students arrive.'

Meanwhile, in the City of Vale, in it's abandoned industrial district, a man in a bowler hat and cane along with other people with grimm like masks surround a crate. "Open it." Two of the masked individuals open said crate, revealing a dozen or more different colored crystals, neatly and precisely cut. "We're gonna need more men."

In the skies above Vale, an airship of some design was flying over, its destination: Beacon Academy, and it's carrying the next generation of hunters. Inside, one could see some commotion.

"Oh, I can't believe my baby sister is going Beacon with me! This is the best day ever!" The familiar face of Yang exclaimed, in a hug, Ruby was struggling to get out of her sister's grip.

"Please stop." Ruby said quietly, seeing how she was having a small amount of trouble breathing.

Yang took a step back, after letting go of Ruby "But I'm so proud of you!" She exclaimed again.

"Please Yang, it was nothing." Ruby quietly said.

"What do you mean: it was nothing? It was incredible. Everyone at Beacon gonna think you have 'the bee's knees.'" Yang said.

"I don't what to be 'the bee's knees' ok, I don't want to any kind of knees. I just wanna be a normal girl with normal knees." Ruby said.

"What's with you? Aren't you excited to be at Beacon?" Yang asked.

"Of course I am. I just, I got moved ahead two years. I don't want people to think I special or anything." Ruby said.

Yang moved to her sister's said and put a hand around her shoulder. "But you are special." She said, trying to cheer her up.

On a holographic screen, a picture of a criminal appears. "Another dust store was robbed last night by Roman Torchwick, who continues to evade authorities. If you have any information on his whereabouts, please contact the Vale Police Department. Back to you Lisa." The picture then changed over to a woman with short white hair, very quickly a picture appeared in the top left of many faunus protesters, in the front was female bear faunus (A/N: please correct me if I'm wrong.) as well as a male rabbit faunus. In the back, a male ram, and bull faunus could be seen, along with multiple signs.

"Thank you Siral. In other news, this Saturday's Faunus Civil Rights protest turned dark when members of the White Fang disrupted the protest." The picture changed to a red, dog-looking head with three red claw marks under it. "The once peaceful organization has now disrupted-"

The screen disappeared, and in its place, a hologram of Professor Goodwitch appeared. "Hello and welcome to Beacon."

"Who's that?" Ruby asked.

"My name is Glynda Goodwitch." Glynda said, answering Ruby's question. "Oh" Ruby said.

"You are among the privileged few who have received the honor of being selected in attending this prestigious academy. Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace and as future huntsman and huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed to uphold such a task and now, it is our duty to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world." After finishing her speech, the hologram disappeared.

"Oh wow." Ruby just barely whispered out, before moving over to the window. Under them, the City Vale could be seen. Other people started to notice this and started moving towards the windows.

"Look, you can see Signal from up here." Ruby said.

"I guess home isn't far after all. Beacon's our home now." Yang said. In the corner, a girl with long blonde hair that reached the middle of her back, she had pieces of armor around her chest, upper and lower arms, and shins. She was making groaning sounds and holding her stomach.

"Well, I guess the view isn't good everyone." Yang said, however, the girl in question recovered herself.

"Sorry about that. Me and flying don't go well together. I'm Jean Arc."

"I'm Yang, and this is my sister Ruby." said Yang.

"Wait, Arc. Isn't Jaune's last name Arc." Ruby asked.

"Yeah, it is." Yang answered. Jean's eyes widened a little.

"How do you know my brother?" She asked.

"Did you not here he's alive? No offense" Yang said. Jean looked like she just got hit by a truck.

"My brothers alive? How? How is he alive?" She whispered.

"I don't know. He kinda just, dropped in." Yang said.

"Dropped in?" Jean asked, very confused.

"You can ask him at Beacon." Yang said.

"Wait, he's at Beacon? How long?!" Jean demanded.

"He went three days ago. Our mom took him there when she left for Beacon." Ruby said.

"Really? Where has been?" Jean asked.

"We don't know. He hasn't told us. Only our parents." Ruby said.

"Oh. Well, at least he's there." Jean said. Internally, she was happy her brother was alive, but confused as well, they buried him at home. She had questions for him.

Back at Beacon, the airship had landed and the students started to disembark from the airship. When Ruby, Yang, and Jean got out of the airship, they could only look up in awe.

"Wow. I can't believe it, we're here." Ruby said. Jean, however, was only focused on finding Jaune. However, looking over at Yang and Ruby, Yang was gone and Ruby was fell over. She landed on someone's things, sending them flying. Vials of dust came out and one rolled over to the owner: Weiss Schnee.

"You dolt! Do you know the damage you could've caused?!" From a distance, Jaune could see the commotion start. He started making his way over, to prevent it from escalating out of control.

"Ms. Schnee!" He called out, startling, all of them. He put out his hand, still with a cup of coffee in his other. The first thing both Weiss, and Jean noticed was his impressive height, then the two scars on his face. "The vial of dust please." He was not asking. "Having seen who the professors are this year, she had to listen, he was one of her instructors. She then handed him the vial of fire dust.

Looking at the vial, Jaune noticed that cap was not tightly secured, allowing a small amount of powdered fire dust to escape. Looking at their surroundings, he could see a faint amount of the dust in the air. "Mrs. Schnee, perhaps instead of lecturing others on safety, you should check your own safety measures first. The cap of this vial was not properly secured, allowing dust to escape. I imagine the results would've been, explosive."

Right on cue, Ruby sneezed and very small fire dust explosion went off, however the damage was minimal. She looked up and had a very bad, but cute poker face. "My point exactly." He said, handing the vial back to Weiss. Feeling slightly flustered, Weiss walked off, because he was right, even if she wouldn't admit it.

Finally taking notice of the tall man, Ruby was greeted by the familiar sight of Jaune towering over her. "Jaune!"

'Jaune!?' Jean mentally screamed.

"Hello Ruby. Imagine my surprise when I saw your face on my list of students." Jaune said.

"Wait, you're a professor?" Ruby asked.

"Correct. I am Beacon's hand to hand combat instructor." Jaune said. Before the could continue the conversation, Jaune was slammed by a blonde blur.

"Where have you been little brother?!" Jean asked, with tears in her eyes.

"Wait, Jean?" Jaune whispered. He lowered himself to her level, his eyes widened in shock, his coffee mug now a shattered mess on the ground. The two shared a very tight hug.

"Where have you been? We buried you at home?" Jean asked again.

"Initiation. After initiation, I'll tell you everything I can. Alright?" Jaune said. She nodded, "I must be going now." he walked off towards the auditorium.

"So that was your brother? I thought he died?" Another voice asked from behind. Looking behind them, it was another girl, this time dressed in black and a little white with a bow on the top of her head.

"Yeah, it was. We all thought he was dead, but I guess not." Jean said, wiping away some tears.

"At least he's alive." She said with a small smile.

"Yeah. I'm very happy but confused." Jean said.

"Hey guys, I think we're supposed to be heading to the auditorium." Ruby said. The other two girls nodded in agreement and went in the direction Jaune did. Inside the auditorium, the entirety of the new student body was either standing or sitting around, waiting for something to happen. Then Ozpin tapped the microphone, behind him, Glynda and Jaune could be seen.

"I'll keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step." He said before Glynda took his place.

"You shall gather in the ballroom tonight, you initiation begins tomorrow, be ready. You're dismissed." Glynda said before she too walked off. However, Jaune remained on the stage, observing the students.

"That was vague." Ruby said.

"So Ruby, how has your first day Beacon been so far?" Yang asked, from behind her.

"It went badly. I bumped into this girl and if it wasn't for Jaune I would've exploded!" Ruby quickly said. Jean simply gave up trying to follow Ruby, along with Yang.

"YOU!" Looking behind her, Ruby could see the same girl in question.

"Oh no! It's you!" She said, jumping into Yang's arms.

"If it wasn't for the professor you would've exploded!"

"Oh my god, you actually exploded." Yang thought out loud.

"Yes, if the professor hadn't stepped in, she would've exploded." The girl stated.

"Look, maybe you two started off on the wrong foot. I'm Yang, this is my sister Ruby." Yang said, setting Ruby down.

"Weiss, Weiss Schnee." The girl, now known as Weiss said back.

"There you go Rubes. Now, what can you tell us about Jaune?" Yang asked Jean.

"I don't know. I don't how much is still with him." Jean said.

"Jaune Arc? Your brother that passed away over ten years ago?" Weiss asked.

"Yeah, you actually met him, and he's not dead apparently," Jean said.

Weiss simply raised an eyebrow, "I don't think I did, ever."

"Well, he's the professor that intervened." Ruby said. Weiss simply raised an eyebrow.

"I highly doubt it."

"It's true! Did the last name Arc not alert you at all? Even a little?" Ruby asked. Weiss thought for a second, then she turned an unhealthy pale.

"B-But how is that possible? I saw the news coverage of the funeral?" She whispered out.

"I don't know. Nobody but him knows. He told us he was going to wait till after initiation." Jean said.

Meanwhile on the outside the auditorium, Pyrrha Nikos was walking around, heading to the ballroom. She has had several different people come up to her, asking about something or another. She was not one to shy away from crowds, but sometimes she needed an escape. She found her way over to a garden area, it was still an hour before sunset, so sometime in the gardens couldn't hurt.

"Mrs. Nikos?" A male voice asked from behind.

"Yes?" She asked, turning around, it was a very tall man in a very large suit of armor. "Who are you?"

"My name is Professor Jaune Arc. You can just call me Jaune. And I need your assistance with something." The professor said, she simply raised an eyebrow.

"I would love to help you professor." She said with a smile.

"Good. A large problem I've had since my return to the kingdoms was the lack of necessary equipment to remove my armor. Short version, my armor is held together by a series of magnetic locks and pins. I was going through my student list I and noticed your semblance was polarity." Jaune explained.

"I see. I'm not familiar with your armor however." Pyrrha said.

"Don't worry, I know my armor inside and out. Please find me after initiation in the teacher dorms, I will be on the second floor." Jaune said, while turning around, he turned back at Pyrrha. "I would also suggest going to the ballroom before Goodwitch sees you." She smiled and followed his advice.

After returning to his room and grabbing his helmet, Jaune was looking over the Emerald Cliff, testing out some of the functions he hadn't had time for over Harvest. 'Interesting fact, grimm do show up on thermal.' Switching over to night vision, he lost vision of some of the grimm, not all. Then he magnified the sight by five times. Then ten.

"Enjoying the view?" A female asked from behind. Looking behind him, Summer was standing there.

"More like testing out my helmet." Jaune said, before taking off the helmet. "So, why Ruby?"

"What about Ruby?" Summer asked.

"Why did you bring Ruby up two years, just out of curiosity." Jaune asked.

"You remember how the Tale of the Maidens is true?" Summer asked, Jaune nodded. "Well, the tale of the Silver Eyed Warriors are true as well." Summer said. Jaune focused on Summer's eyes and noticed they were silver, just like Ruby's.

"Well, that makes a little sense. But why though?" Jaune asked.

"There's something after us. It's part of the reason I was injured and took a teaching job." Summer said.

"I see. I know the feeling of being hunted. It's not a pleasant feeling." Jaune said.

"Then you know the danger." Summer said.

"Yeah, the question know is: what can we do about it?" Jaune asked.

"There's not much we can do." Summer said.

"Bullshit! There's always a solution, even if it's a bitch to find." Jaune said. Below them, gunfire could be heard. Quickly turning around and putting his helmet back on and looking down.

"It's probably Port gathering grimm for his class." Summer said.

"Alright, I'll take your word for it." He said, walking away from the cliff side.

Inside the ballroom, the students had gathered up for the night, after the sun went down, the boys of the group attempted to show off, by being mostly shirtless or sleeveless. On the side with the women of the group, they were mostly ignoring them, tending to their own devices. In one area, Pyrrha was thinking about the brief conversation with Professor Arc, while preparing to rest for the night, Weiss and Jean were also thinking about the professor, for different reasons however. Ruby was writing something before Yang got involved.

"It's like a big slumber party!" Yang shouted while jumping next to Ruby.

"I don't dad would approve of all the boys though."

"I know I do" Yang purred, looking at said boys, then she looked down. "What's that?"

"A letter back to gang back at Signal. I promised to tell them all about Beacon and how things are going."

"Aww that's so cute." Yang's comment got her a pillow in the face.

"Shut up! I didn't get to take my friends with my school. It's weird not knowing anyone here." Ruby said.

"What about Jaune or Jean? They're, nice? There you go, plus two friends! That's a two hundred percent increase!" Yang said.

"Pretty sure Weiss counts as a negative friend." Ruby said, after flipping onto her back. "Down to one at least."

"There's no such thing as a negative friend. You just made two friends and one enemy." Yang got another pillow to the face. "Look it's only been one day, trust me, you've got friends all around you. You just haven't met them yet." Ruby then heard the page of a book get flipped. Sitting up, she sees the girl with a black bow.

"That girl,"

"You know her?" Yang asked.

"Not really, she saw what happened after you left, but I didn't ask what her name was." Ruby said.

"Welp, now's your chance!" Yang said, before grabbing Ruby's hand and dragging her over to the girl. Said girl heard the commotion and looked up, only to see a blonde girl now's over the girl in red from earlier.

"~Hello!~" The blonde girl said in singing voice before letting go of the other girl, who promptly turned around and crossed her arms. "You two may know each other."

"Aren't you the girl who nearly exploded?" She asked.

"Uhh, yeah. My names Ruby" Ruby said, offering her hand, though the brunette was not interested in a handshake. She pulled her hand back, and scratch the back of her head, unsure of what to say.

"What are you doing?" Yang whispered over to Ruby.

"I don't know help me!"

"So, what's your name?" Yang asked.

"Blake."

"Well Blake, I"m Yang! Ruby's older sister, nice bow."

"Thanks" Blake said, with a monotone voice.

"It goes great with your, pajamas." Yang said.

"Right." Blake said, still with her monotone voice. Ruby and Yang looked at each other briefly before looking back over to Blake.

"Nice night we're having."

"Yes, it's lovely, almost as lovely this book. That I will go back to reading. As soon as you leave" Blake replied.

"Yeah, this girl a lost cause." Yang said to Ruby.

"What's it about?" Ruby asked Blake, catching her off guard.

"Huh?"

"The book, does it have a name?" Ruby asked.

"Well, it's about a man with two souls. Each fighting for control his body." Blake said.

"Oh yeah, that one. That's really lovely." Yang said.

"I love books. Yang used to read to me every night before bed. Stories of heroes and monsters. They're one of the reasons I wanted to be a huntress." Ruby said.

"Why is that? Hoping you'll live happily ever after?" Blake asked.

"Well I'm hoping we all will. As a girl, I wanted to be just like those heroes in the books. As someone who fought for what was right, and to protect people who couldn't protect themselves." Ruby said. I

"That's awfully ambitious, for a child. Unfortunately the world isn't the same as a fairy tale." Blake said.

"Well, that's why we're here, to make it better." Ruby said, starting to return to her awkward self.

"I'm so proud of my little sister." Yang said, picking her up, starting a small, sisterly brawl.

Unseen to everybody in the ballroom, two figures could be seen, watching the two sisters. "Seems like yesterday we were in their place." Summer said.

"Yeah, it does. Though we didn't know each other then." Qrow said back to Summer. Inside, Weiss could be seen yelling at the two sisters, then the candles went out.

The next morning, the students were already awake, in the forest, a fully suited up and armored Jaune currently climbing a tree, a very sturdy one at that. Even at the top, he couldn't see into Beacon per say, but he could see Ozpin and the upper bodies of the students. With his helmet's zoom. Then the first students were launched. Even though he was told the students were going to launched into the forest, he thought it was a little bit insane.

Using his tracking capabilities, he tracked each and every student's trajectory into the forest below. He followed some with high interest, among them was his sister Jean. It was clear she had no landing strategy, seeing how she was tumbling through the air in free fall. From somewhere from behind her a spear flies at her, snags her hoodie, and impales her into a tree.

"Thank you!"

"I'm sorry!"

'Was that Pyrrha?' Looking behind him, he could see Pyrrha, now moving towards him and Jean. Making his decision, he started making his way over to the destination with the relics.

In the forest below, Jean was hanging in the tree, sighing, she pulls out a book, The Man With Two Souls, and starts reading. A few minutes later, she hears something below her, looking down, she is greeted by the glare of Weiss.

"Hi?" Weiss didn't reply, simply turned around, and headed back in the direction she came from. She could her say something to someone, then she heard Ruby's voice. 'I don't know if I should feel sorry for Ruby' Deciding she didn't want to stay there anymore, she uses her aura to remove the spear from her hoodie. Once on the ground, she pulls out her weapon, Crocea Mors, and waits for the owner of the spear to return. On instinct, she turned around to face some movement she heard, however, she was greeted by Pyrrha.

"Partners?" Jean asked, Pyrrha smiled and nodded then tossed her spear back at her. "So where to?"

"He launched us in that direction," Pyrrha pointed her spear north, "I think we should keep going in that direction."

"I agree." Jean said, then the two started off in that direction.

"So, what's your weapon?" Jean asked.

"I call them Milo and Akouo. It's a mix of a javelin, xiphos (short sword), and rifle with a shield. What about yours?"

"It's a family heirloom called Crocea Mors. It's simply a sword with the shield that turns into a sheathe. It's been the family for a long time. It was supposed to be my brothers." Jean said.

"The professor's?" Pyrrha asked.

"Yeah, how did you met him?" Jean asked.

"He asked me for help with removing his armor. He said it required special equipment to remove it, which is outside the kingdoms. He asked me to use my semblance on the locks and pins holding in." Pyrrha replied.

"He was, outside the kingdoms?" Jean asked, Pyrrha simply raised an eyebrow.

"Did he not tell you?"

"No, we actually thought he was dead. We buried him." Jean said.

"At least he's alive." Pyrrha said, trying to brighten the mood. Jean smiled a little at that, she was right, and she gonna get answers.

Above the forest, Ozpin, Glynda, and Summer were watching the group of students and their new professor with hidden cameras throughout the forest.

"Our final pair is formed. I do feel sorry for mister Ren." Summer said.

"I feel worse for Ruby." Glynda said.

"It reminds me of my first encounter with Raven." Summer said.

"I also remember it." A voice said from behind. Looking behind them, they saw the woman in question, an older version of Yang.

"Mrs. Branwen." Glynda said, not even batting an eye at her.

"Raven." Summer said. Recently, Raven's visits had become more frequent, as in once or twice a year rather than never at all.

"I heard he returned, I thought he was dead." Raven said.

"Indeed he did. Quite suddenly I might add." Ozpin said.

"Not even you knew about his return?" Raven asked.

"I told what I knew after his funeral, he came with Summer." Ozpin said.

"Summer?" Raven asked.

"He dropped in. As in, fell from the sky." Summer said.

"Fell from the sky?" Raven said.

"Perhaps he can fill in the blanks later, I'm sure you'd want to see how much he's improved?" Ozpin asked.

"How so? He's a student?"

"The opposite actually, he's a staff member now, our hand-to-hand instructor. And he's the forest below." Glynda said.

"You actually did something about that? I'm impressed. Now I want to see him." Raven said. She was handed a scroll by Ozpin, who was perfectly fine with watching Glynda's feed.

Meanwhile, Jaune was on the perimeter of the ruins, observing students coming to grab the 'relics' then leave, only a few stayed around, Yang, and another student, a female faunus trying to hide her ears under a bow. Then, Jean and Pyrrha show up.

"Your partner Yang?" Jean asked.

"Yup, seems you got P-money. I got Blakey." Yang said, with a toothy grin.

"Never call me that again." Blake replied. Jean and Pyrrha ignore Yang's comment to them and light chuckle at Blake's expense.

"Wait, where's Ruby?"Jean asked.

"HEADS UP!" Ruby yelled from, above? The five of them looks up, only to see both Ruby and Weiss falling. Thinking fast, Pyrrha uses her spear and semblance to impale both of them to a very close tree, then removing the spear. On the cliff, Summer was laughing at her daughter's expense, with Raven barely containing hers.

"Well there's your answer-"

"YEEHAW!" An orange haired girl yelled, while riding in on an Ursa, catching up to them, a male in oriental robes put his hands on his knees while taking deep breathes.

"Nora, never do that again." He said in calm, but labored voice. The girl completely ignored him and sprinted at the 'relics' Grabbing a rook and proceeded to start spinning while signing something about being 'the queen of the castle' or something like that.

"Uhh, ok?" Ruby asked.

"Well, the gang's all here!" Yang yelled. Unseen to all of them, Jaune was still observing them, he was gonna start making his way over to the landing zone to be picked up, however, his spartan hearing picked up something near him. Turning around very quickly, he was met with the claw of a giant scorpion. With the group of students, they heard a very loud roar, then a large white, thing was flown at them, burying itself in the dirt.

"Wait, professor? What are you doing here?" Weiss asked, seeing how only Professor Arc had that same design of armor.

"Someone's got watch your asses." Jaune said, while getting out of the dirt he made. Then the giant scorpion came out of the trees.

"Professor, I suggest we find a better place to fight that death stalker." Weiss said.

"Negative, this is about the best position we can get. Unless you want to go into the canyon at the edge of the forest." Jaune said.

"This'll be fun." Yang said. The eight students get their weapons out, ready to fight the death stalker, however, Jaune didn't, he was still in a ready to fight pose, but with no weapons. He was observing the death stalker. Then, a caw could be heard above them could be heard, looking up, a giant bird, thing could seen.

"This got a lot harder. Anyone here have experience killing either of these things?" Jaune asked. As predicted, no one did.

"Didn't think so." Then another death stalker appeared, though slightly damaged.

"Game plan: there's another set of ruins further north, not as flat and open this area, but it'll provide cover from the nevermore. I'll take one of the death stalkers. Now go." Jaune said. Before charging the damaged death stalker. Deciding not argue with him, the eight students run off, taking the nevermore and other death stalker with them.

'Right, find a weak point, exploit it.' Jaune thought, seeing a crack above its eyes, he took his knife and rammed it into the crack. As predicted, the death stalker attempted to get the thing off of it. However, with the angle Jaune placed the knife, the blade would only dig further in, and take part of the armor with it. And the knife was a nano weaved, titanium carbon alloy, very difficult to break, even by spartan standards. When the death stalker used it's tail to force the him off, Jaune took the knife and a piece of the carapace with him. Screaming in pain, the grimm was going to make this human feel pain. The force of the death stalker's swing sent Jaune through a tree. Getting up, Jaune could only see the edge of the death stalker's tail, then everything slowed down to a crawl.

'Spartan time' Jaune thought, taking the term straight from Kelly. He grabbed the death stalker's tail and redirected it into a boulder, shattering both. Wasting no time and still in spartan time, he dashed forward, and puts both of his fists into two of the death stalker's eye, because he was moving so fast, it didn't have any time to react. And the force behind Jaune's fists sent it backwards a few feet. Finally, the pain caught up to the death stalker, causing it to scream in agony. At this point, Jaune could see the nevermore being dragged up the cliffside by Ruby.

Ignoring this, he focused purely on the death stalker in front of him. The grimm charged him again, though this time, he jumped onto it's back. Seeing another large crack in its armor, he pulled out his magnum and fired into it. But to his surprise, it did nothing. Deciding to take a risk, he grabbed one of the few frag grenades he had, and looks for the death stalker's mouth. Finding it under the eyes, he forced the thing's mouth open, then forcefully put the grenade into its mouth before jumping back. The 'face' of the death stalker exploded, killing it and sending bits of it everywhere.

"Not bad, if someone would've told me that Jaune could've killed a death stalker years ago, I've called them a fool." Raven said.

"Well, I think it's safe to say he's improved greatly." Summer said.

"I agree. Mr. Arc is more than able to be part of the staff." Ozpin said.

"I still want to speak with him." Raven said.

"You will, in time Raven." Summer said.

Back in the forest, the group of future hunters started making their way back over to where they left the professor. In the opening, there was the decaying corpse of the death stalker, but no professor.

"Beautiful isn't it?" Six of the teens jumped and turned around and saw the professor in question.

"A little." Ren said. Above them, several bullheads were beginning to land at the pickup point.

"Let's get moving." Jaune said, pulling out his DMR. The others started following him, seeing how they had no idea how far the pickup is. After a few more minutes of walking, they arrived at a very large clearing where several bullheads had landed and begun picking up students. "Choose a bullhead and hop in, I got a few things to do down here." Jaune said. While they were loading into a bullhead, Jaune felt a familiar presence behind him. Turning around, he sees and older version of Yang.

"Raven."

"Jaune. You've grown."

"No shit. What are you doing here?" He asked.

"I heard rumors you were alive, I had to be sure."

"Well, here I am." Jaune said, removing his helmet.

"Indeed you are. We were watching your fight with death stalker. Not bad."

"Had no time to make an elaborate plan." Jaune said.

"I noticed something, you had something around you, it was like and aura, but it wasn't"

"Energy shields. Prototype tech." Jaune said.

"Nowhere in the king-" Raven stopped when she saw something, a symbol. "That symbol, I've seen it before."

"Which one?" Jaune asked. Truth be told, he added a few aesthetics to his armor, mostly a symbol of the Star Wars Empire, (Don't hate) on his shoulders.

"The one with the eagle." Then the realization hit her. "I saw that on the thing that took you. What happened?"

"Let's start with basics, I was outside the kingdoms and off world."

"Off world? That's not possible." Raven said.

"Not with Remnant's current technology." Jaune looked down, his scroll was going off.

' _If you're going to explain somethings, then do it in the school.'_

"Goddammit Ozpin. Looks like he wants me to explain with the rest of staff. You'll get you answers." Jaune said.

"Then let's get going." Raven said. Before Jaune could ask how, she opened a portal behind her.

"Right, you can open portals." Jaune said. Putting his helmet back on, he followed Raven through the portal to Beacon. At the top of the cliff, Ozpin, Glynda, and Summer were looking right at him.

"You were going to explain things to her but not us? I'm hurt." Summer said, feigning pain.

"Hey, I was gonna give answers. Eventually."

"Then you can start later. Practice for when the rest of your family shows up." Ozpin said.

"Oh right, when are they coming?" Jaune asked.

"Later this week. You might want to get ready."

"Yeah, this gonna suck." Jaune said.

"What, the wraith of your family?" Summer asked. Jaune then glared at Summer through his helmet

"Did you seriously just ask me that question?"

"Yup." Summer said, getting the same face that Ruby would use in this situation.

"If I may interrupt, that final ceremony is going to begin in a few hours.." Glynda said.

"Indeed it will." Ozpin said, before walking back towards the Academy with Glynda

"I'll let you two mingle." Jaune said, leaving only Raven and Summer.

A few hours later, the students had gathered up for the final ceremony and the announcing of the new teams. By the time Jaune ran in, the ceremony was nearly done. Next to Ozpin was the rest of the staff, except Professor Peach.

"-Cardin Winchester, you are Team CRDL, led by Cardin Winchester!" Ozpin said. Cardin was congratulated by his team.

"Jean Arc, Pyrrha Nikos, Lie Ren, and Nora Valkyrie, you are Team JNPR, led by Jean Arc!"

"W-What?" Pyrrha gave a friendly bump of the shoulder, staggering Jean, but she didn't fall over.

"Congratulations young lady. Next up, is Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, Yang Xiao Long, you are Team RWBY, led by Ruby Rose!"

"I'm so proud of you!" Yang yelled, giving Ruby a crushing hug.

"Professors, please guide our new teams to their dorms." Ozpin said, to Glynda, Summer, and Jaune, allowing Port and Oobleck to leave. After guiding the students to their rooms, Jaune quickly stole Pyrrha to help him. Inside his room, the two started.

"Alright, let's start at the beginning. First, loosen the four locks here, here, here, and here. Little note: all the locks and pins can only be turned twice clockwise" Jaune said, pointing to the four chest locks that holds the two chest pieces together, along with the abdomen and groin pieces. Feeling the pins loosen one at a time, until all the pieces fall to the floor.

"Good. Let's move to the arm pieces. Two sets of arm pieces for the upper and lower arm. There are three pins for the upper arm here, here, and here." Jaune said. He felt his upper arms loosen, the armor fell off in three separate pieces.

"Good, now the lower arm guard is much simpler, the little hole in the middle of the wrist unlocks the whole thing. Try it now." Jaune said, then the lower arm pieces fell off, showing his entire arm.

"Perfect. Now the upper leg guards. There are five locks, one here, here, here, here, and here." Jaune said, pointing to the top of the leg, and knee. Looking down, he saw the entire upper leg and knee piece fall off.

"Finally the lower leg and shin. Eight pins, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here." Jaune said, pointing around his shin, just under the knee, and ankles. First, the shin guards came off, then the rest of the lower leg pieces, then the clamps holding his ankles to the massive boots release, allowing Jaune to step out of the armor.

"One last piece, the one just above my ass. There are two locks, one at the top and bottom, see em?" Jaune asked. Pyrrha nodded, then the piece just above ass came off. "And that's it."

"That was very tiring." Pyrrha said, resting herself on the couch. Jaune handed her a large glass of water.

"To be fair, I was not expecting you to complete it all in one go." Jaune said. Gathering up the pieces of armor.

"It was very difficult. It wasn't created with polarity in mind was it?"

"No it was not, the locks were made for mechanical release, not by someone's semblance. So well done. Now, that that's done, I need to meet with Ozpin." Jaune said, before walking out the room, with Pyrrha right behind him.

In Ozpin's office, most of the staff plus Raven were waiting for Jaune to finish up something, though he didn't tell them what. The elevator suddenly opened, showing an unarmored Jaune inside.

"Well, now you know what I was doing." Jaune said.

"Indeed. Now, you were going to give Mrs. Branwen some answers." Ozpin said. Jaune simply nodded, then stole a chair.

"Well, where did I leave off?"

"You left off with you being off world. Care to elaborate?" Raven said.

"Well, Remnant is not alone in the galaxy. I was taken by the UNSC's Office of Naval Intelligence or ONI." Jaune said.

"UNSC?" Oobleck asked.

"United Nations Space Command. A space faring civilization originating further up the Orion Arm of the galaxy. Remnant is further towards the galactic edge." Jaune explained. "And at the time of my kidnapping, Remnant had only been found a few years before."

"So, an interstellar civilization finds us, only to kidnap you, why?" Summer asked.

"My kidnapping was not random, I was chosen based on my genetic structure, don't ask how they knew this. I was needed for the Orion II project. I can't tell you much about the project because it's still highly classified. What I will tell you is there was 75 of us from across UNSC space. The basics of the program were to create super soldiers using genetic augments."

"That sounds risky." Glynda said.

"You have no idea. Of the seventy-five that went to get their augments, 33 survived. The rest were either dead or crippled. And this was when we were 14. The remainder of us then received our Mjolnir armor, the same armor that I arrived in." Jaune said, looking up, he saw the shock across the staff.

"14? You were all 14 when this happened? Who were supposed to fight?" Ozpin calmly asked, even though on the inside, he was fuming.

"An insurrection. We were being trained to fight a human insurrection in human space." Jaune said.

"You were fighting rebels? And who started it, this UNSC or the 'rebels'?" Oobleck asked.

"Both are guilty. The UNSC was basically a dictatorship, but the Insurrectionists wanted their own power, not freedom. They started the movement with the detonation of a nuclear weapon in a city of 3 million, wiping it off the map." Jaune said.

"Wiped off the map? How powerful is a nuclear weapon?" Summer asked.

"And did the movement start out violent?" Oobleck asked

"To Summer's question: they wipe a planet clean of most of its life with little difficulty. And to Bart's question: yes it did, and its leaders had no patience." Jaune answered.

"I have one question, how was it you were buried, yet you stand here, a grown man?" Peter asked.

"When the UNSC took us, they replaced us with flash clones, copies of us that would not last more than a week." Jaune said.

"That's horrible." Summer said.

"How do you think we felt?" Jaune asked.

"Let's move on, what about the war you told Qrow about?" Summer asked.

"That war. We've begun to call it the Human-Covenant War. The Covenant are multi-species alien religious hegemony. All I know is they declared a holy war against humanity, and they have all the advantages."

"What kind of advantages?" Ozpin asked.

"Most of them. Technology, numbers, experience, systems controlled. The only advantage we have is our cyber warfare capabilities. Seeing how we developed sentient, but short lived AIs." Jaune explained.

"How bad was it?" Raven asked.

"12 billion dead and 17 planets rendered uninhabitable in the last three years since it started, on our side. We've been put on the defensive." Jaune said.

"12 billion dead?" Peter asked silently.

"And what do they want?" Glynda asked.

"The complete extermination of the human race as a whole. And all in the name of their religion." Jaune said.

"Then what are you fighting for then?" Ozpin asked.

"We're all fighting to give the Human homeworld and capital time to prepare for its defense. If we lose Earth, we lose the war." Jaune said.

"Wait, human homeworld?" Peter asked.

"Yes, the human homeworld. And the seat of human power. It's fifteen thousand years of history." Jaune said.

"Fifteen thousand years of history? What about the faunus or grimm, or even dust in human space?" Oobleck asked.

"There is no faunus, grimm, or even dust anywhere else in human space. Grimm and dust are only known here, on Remnant. Faunus could explained in one two ways, either both humans and faunus are imported species, or this is the faunus homeworld." Jaune said.

"Those are very extreme answers Mr. Arc." Ozpin said.

"Unless someone can give me a better, more reasonable answer, I'm sticking with my answer." Jaune said.

"I think this is enough shock for today. Is there any more you want to add?" Ozpin asked.

"None." Jaune said.

"Very well. Let all get some rest for tomorrow morning." Ozpin said. "Jaune, I want to talk to about your family."

"Alright." Jaune said, the rest of the staff left the tower, leaving only Jaune and Ozpin.

"Firstly, while you were in the forest, your mother called. She is bringing everyone here to Beacon to see you. And word has leaked out that are alive. And there is a lot of confusion. You are going to have to explain everything you just told us, perhaps in greater detail." Ozpin said.

"There's not much more I can add on. I gave you all as much as I could. And there are somethings I can't tell outside this room." Jaune said.

"Such as?"

"Nuclear weapons. As useful as they are, they are mistakes. Their creation on Earth caused a half century cold war. The only good thing I can say come from them is another source of energy. I will do everything in my power to stop their creation here on Remnant." Jaune said.

"Very well. Now, I believe your sister wanted answers as well." Ozpin said.

"Right, I should probably get to that." Jaune said, before getting up and heading down the elevator. On the other side of the elevator, Jean was waiting for him.

"Got out of your armor?"

"Yup. I promised answers, you'll get them." Jaune said.

"Can we do them in my dorm?"

"Your team?"

"They won't tell."

"Very well. Led the way." Jaune said. The two Arcs then headed towards the freshman dorms. Upon walking inside, the rest of Jean's team was simply sitting around. "I assume you told them?"

"Yeah I did." Jean answered.

"Alright." Jaune said, taking a chair and sitting on it. "Ask away."

"How did you disappear?" Jean asked.

"We were kidnapped. Replaced with flash clones that would've died a few days to a week after being replaced." Jaune said.

"A flash clone?" Jean asked.

"No one Remnant has that technology. No public entity at least." Ren said.

"That's because I wasn't taken by any Remnant faction. Remnant is not alone in this galaxy. I was taken by an interstellar faction called the UNSC. The watered down version is that they are a smaller power in the galaxy run by humans only." Jaune said.

"Why a watered down version?" Jean asked.

"Because Ozpin told mom I was here, and she's bringing everyone, supposedly." Jaune said. Jean's eyed widened to their maximum while the rest of her team raised an eyebrow.

"You don't know how bad that is, do you?" Jean asked.

"I would be lying if I said yes." Jaune said.

"Well, might as well prepare you. When mom brings everyone, she's not just bringing the family, she's bringing several advisors and close staff members of the palace." Jean said.

"Ohhh. This is going to suck." Jaune groaned.

"You have no idea." Jean said.

"If we have no more to discuss, I have some last minute planning I need to do. Have a good night." Jaune said. Walking out of his sister's dorm, he started walking back towards his room. However, unseen to him, several students were observing him, with scrolls out and recording.

Outside of Vale, a silver haired man was watching recent trends when he saw said Arc. "Hey Cinder, look who just showed up." He said, handing the scroll over to a woman with a red dress named Cinder.

"Little prince, what are you doing alive? That changes things." She said.

 **One last thing, I've been thinking of renaming this story, an suggestions?**


	6. The First Day of School

**Hey guys, so I've finally switched over to Microsoft Word, YAY go me! So yeah, update, new name is still pending, but me and my friend Drew (** _ **The Editor is back BITCHES :)**_ **) have been thinking Altered Destiny(ies). Also, been thinking of cleaning up Team Bandit like I did to Turian/Militia War, though less major changes. Now, to the comments!**

 **Guest 1: ?**

 **Guest 2: Thanks for sticking around**

 **Funkyshnelpu jr (Sorry if I spelled this wrong): 1: A think most of your points are from end of the war opinions, especially around remembering where they were born and their families. 2: First parts done, again, end of the war, but I have thought of that. 3: Don't have, bye. 4: He choose to take the name Arc rather than Jaune, that will be explained.**

 **Smurphy1999: That's where we got Altered Destinies! Thank you for that.**

 **Reading Rainbow: Writing is a learning experience. Not really? I feel like once you're a Spartan, you're always a Spartan kind of deal. This is also a non-canon story for both Halo and RWBY. For the Harvest part, we really don't know that, Harvest was a five-year campaign that we really haven't much of until Halo Wars.**

 **Now, onto the story! Also, welcome to Volume 2.**

"Character Dialogue"

'Character Thoughts'

" _Radio Dialogue"_

' _Messages/letters'_

-Flashback, Star System Epsilon Proxy 3-

"Audio log timestamp 22:32, 09-16-2526. The Covenant are advancing for more quickly than ONI had suggested. We've lost contact with several star systems and one major outer colony hub under siege. Epsilon Proxy was the last system that went dark. I've been ordered to go find the remains of an ONI black site on the planet's surface. Didn't tell me much about it, just it had a prowler that didn't report in. "Sierra-034 out", Jaune said. He was really getting tired of these missions but understood why they had to happen. Fleet Admiral Cole had ordered a fleet-wide order, no ships containing the location Earth or any other major human colony could get into Covenant hands. It's being called the Cole Protocol. Regardless, the loss of an ONI prowler was a major loss, few were around, despite rumors. Looking ahead, he could see the outline of the facility, built into the side of a mountain, it was a small facility by the outside looks, but Jaune knew better. The facility looked like a Stalinist era multistory building with several small landing pads on the outside and a 10-meter-high concrete and barbed wire fence around the entire area. Scanning the skies, he could see no Covenant aircraft above the facility or on it.

'I hope I caught them when they weren't here.' Jaune thought. He felt somewhat vulnerable without the rest of Blue team. He could manage without them, just having backup is always nice.

About five minutes later, he arrives at the outer edge of the facility, he could see the two turrets above the gate and the gate itself were destroyed, along with several dead marines inside. Moving slowly inside, he uses his Spartan access to get a map of the facility. Surprisingly, the facility was small, having a maximum capacity of 300 hundred personal. Finding the hangar, he starts going up to the prowler's location. While moving up, he could see more dead marines, dead staff members, and dead elites. And all the bodies are fresh, only a few hours old. Noticing the corpses were going in one direction, he follows them, in the hopes of finding survivors. At the end of the hallway, there was a safe room with more dead marines and elites around the door. The door itself was several inches thick and was air tight. Finding a console on the wall, he starts typing his access codes he was given for this mission. About minute later, the door opens and inside was the surviving staff and marines.

"Spartan? What the hell are doing here?" A staff member asked.

"ONI command ordered me here, for the prowler. There was a risk of the Cole Protocol being violated." Jaune said. The survivors hearing that at least a glimmer of hope remained they had to ask, "Can you get us out here?"

"If one of you knows how the operate a prowler, then yes." Jaune said.

"Madison here can pilot, the rest of us will follow." The commander of the marines said, pointing towards a female staff member.

"Are there any other survivors?"

"No, we're the ones left." A staff member said.

"Good, now let's get going." Jaune replied.

"We have to destroy the station. There were a few nukes on the prowler, we can use one the destroy this facility." Another staff member said. The group then stepped into an elevator

"And the facilities data?" Jaune asked.

"It was the reason the prowler was sent here in the first place, data retrieval." Another staff member said. Then, the elevator doors open, showing the main hangar.

"Alright, the prowler ready for launch, get the Spartan his nuke and anything that can be taken with us. Move!" The marine commander said. The marines jumped into action, moving the few crates in the hangar while a staff member brought Jaune one of the nukes in question. Due to his training, he was taught how to arm and disarm nukes at will, not rare among Spartans, but not common either.

After arming the nuke, Jaune heads over to the prowler, walking inside, the survivors were all ready for launch. "The nuke is armed, we have three minutes."

"I'll only need one." Madison said. After Jaune sat down, everyone could feel the prowler leave the facility, then climb up into space. Below them, a large, fiery mushroom cloud was all that remained of the ONI black site and the surrounding countryside, turning all of it into glass and dust.

-Current time-

Waking up with a small gasp, Jaune sat on the edge of his king-sized bed. Thinking about that mission to Epsilon Proxy. It was his first solo mission, and likely the first of many had he not left Harvest. Al this did however was bring him back to reality.

'Right, I'm back on Remnant. Fuck.' If he was going to be honest with anyone, he would rather be fighting alongside Blue Team. Sighing slightly, he starts his morning routine, he jumps into the shower, while a pot of coffee was brewing. After getting out, he hears someone knocking on the door. With only the lower part of the body suit on and the top half hanging off, he opens the door. At door was Ozpin.

"Ozpin, how I can help you?"

"Making sure my new staff member is ready for his first day of work." Ozpin said. Without making it seem like it, he was taken back the sheer number of scars on Jaune's upper body and arms.

"Well military training makes me get up on a dime. Trust me I'm not missing today." Jaune said.

"Good. First class starts at nine. However, the staff try to get together to eat at around eight."

"Is this a set rule?" Jaune asked.

"No, it is not. Enjoy the rest of your morning Jaune." Ozpin said, before continuing with whatever he was doing.

'Alright.' Jaune thought as he closed the door. Hearing the coffee machine go off, he puts the pot into a large thermos, then he finishes putting on his body suit. The suit itself was a little constricting outside of the Mjolnir armor, but was the only thing he had to wear. 'Note to self: go into the city and get some clothes.'

Walking out his room, he heads out of his room and the teacher dorm and walks down to the main courtyard. Looking around, he sees the second and third year students moving about on whatever tasks they had. However, a certain group immediately caught his attention: Team CRDL. The four boys were centered around Velvet, again. Sighing, he starts walking over towards them. Velvet sees him, but the boys do not. He didn't hear everything that was said, but he did hear something.

"I can't believe they let an animal here." One of the boys spat out.

"If this is what a so called 'animal' is like, I'd hate to see what civilization looks like." Jaune said. The four boys turned around to see Jaune, though this time, without his armor.

"Professor Arc. I look forward to your class." Velvet said. If the boys didn't know who he was beforehand, they knew now.

"Thank you, Mrs., Scarlatina. Now, you four. What am I gonna do with you four?" Jaune said.

"You're not a professor, you're too young!" The tallest boy, Cardin if he remembers correctly, said to him.

"Are you sure about that? You have one my classes. Hand to hand combat training." Jaune said.

"I didn't sign up for that class." Cardin said.

"It's not a volunteer class. You have no say if I put you in it. I expect you to be there. Mrs. Scarlatina, a word please." Jaune said. Velvet walked forward, when Jaune indicated to follow him.

"Thank you for that professor. I expect it to get worse as year goes on." Velvet said somewhat gloomy.

"I commend you for not beating the pulp out of them for simple verbal abuse, but not doing anything will only encourage them. You are second for a reason. Show them." Jaune said.

"On what grounds, though?"

"If it becomes physical, only. If it stays verbal, we cannot do anything." Jaune said.

"What about your class?" Velvet said.

"I will make a point to show my credibility. The bigger they are, they harder they fall." Jaune said. 'Hunters especially.'

"So, I'll see you during your class then?" Velvet asked. Jaune simply looked at her and smirked

"Yes, you will." He said, they both smiled. Velvet was called away by someone leaving Jaune alone, so he continued his walk. A little bit later, he checks his scroll and sees it's around eight twenty-three. Seeing this, he starts walking towards the staff cafeteria. Upon walking, inside he sees Summer and Glynda talking about something.

"Morning ladies." Jaune said. As he's grabbing some English muffins and putting them in a toaster, then putting some breakfast sausages in the microwave.

"Good morning Jaune." Summer said.

"Good morning." Glynda said. The two continued their conversation.

After a few more minutes, one of them asked Jaune a question. "How do you plan on starting your class Jaune?"

"No idea Summer. I'll figure it out as I go." Jaune replied.

"That's it, just wing it?"

"Yeah. Pretty much." Jaune said, then taking a bite out his English muffin.

"'Winging it' is not a good idea Jaune." Glynda said.

Jaune stopped chewing, looked at Glynda in the eyes, then finish his mouth full of food before speaking, "You clearly haven't tried it before." Jaune replied.

"I have actually, it never works." She said back.

"Improvising is something I do greatly." Jaune said, taking another bit of his English muffin.

"If you say so." Glynda said, causing Summer to laugh quietly and Jaune to nearly choke on his English muffin.

"That was far too funny and I don't know why." Jaune said, after chewing his food, again.

"I don't know either." Glynda said.

"Alright, classes start at nine, I got a few more things to do in my classroom, I see you two later." Jaune said, then walking out, eating his remaining English muffin as he goes. In his room, he sees he still has some desks to set up. Sighing, he gets to work. After about twenty minutes, his task was complete, then he sits down in his chair. A nice thing about teacher scrolls is they have inventory of all the materials needed, and in use for their respective class. Jaune noted a lack of simulators, not critical, but very helpful. 'Although, I prefer going into the field and training, but the current semester budget doesn't allow me to that.'

After taking inventory, he starts going through the local news, however, this quickly bores him. Seeing a punching bag, he puts it on a roller and moves it to the middle of his class, then hangs it on a chain hanging from the ceiling. His classroom was kind of like Glynda's: like and arena. Once in the middle, he starts punching and kicking at it. Hearing the door opening, he sees a few earlier risers come into the classroom and take a seat. He however, pays them no mind and continues abusing the punching bag. In his mindscape, he was fist fighting an elite, and winning. Stopping momentarily, he looks over at the clock and sees he has about five minutes before the class starts. Looking back at the students in the class, he sees some familiar faces. Teams RWBY and JNPR.

From the student's perspective, most thought the man beating the punching bag was another student, however, the sister teams of RWBY and JNPR knew better.

"You know people are going to think he's not a student." Blake said.

"I don't care, he was beating the crap out of that punching bag. That looked fun." Yang said, with a massive shit eating grin.

"Yang, only you would think punching a punching bag would be fun." Weiss dead panned.

"You ever do it before Weiss cream?" Yang asked, people around them groaned slightly.

"Why must you make your bad puns?" Weiss asked.

"Because I can." Yang said, then the bell went off, signaling the class has started.

"Welcome to hand to hand combat training. My name is Professor Arc, your instructor for this class. Now, I'm sure most teachers would tell you exactly what you will be taught, but me? Well, I'll teach everything hand to hand combat wise. Now, any questions?" Jaune asked the class. One student raised his hand. He nodded for him to speak.

"What else will be taught, this year class." He said. Jaune nodded in approval.

"Glad you asked. You will be taught more than combat in this class. You will be taught control. Control of yourselves and your abilities. I will be improving your stamina and durability." Jaune answered. Then another student raised his hand, he nodded.

"What does self-control have to do with hand to hand combat, and why teach us this anyway, most us probably won't use anything you teach us."

"To answer your second question, let me ask for everyone here, what would happen if you lose your weapon, and comes down to your fists?" No one answered, but it got his point across. "Now to your first question, if you lose yourself fighting your enemy, one: you will look like a massive tool, and two: you will leave yourself open to counter attacks. Attacks that could be fatal. And remember as hunters you won't only be fighting the grimm, sooner or later you will fight humans and faunus whether you like it or not." Jaune explained. "Now, any more questions?"

Then Cardin raised his hand. "How did you of all people become a professor? You don't look and older than the rest of us."

Jaune couldn't help but quietly sigh. Before he could answer, Summer walks in. "Sorry to intrude, but the headmaster asked me to observe your class." Jaune raised an eyebrow, but nodded as she sat down among the students, especially, next to her daughter's team.

"Well, how about a demonstration. Part of teaching you is both fighting you myself, and you fighting your peers. Mr. Winchester, please come down, without your mace." Jaune said. He then walked back to his desk temporally, and typed into his scroll.

"One more thing for now, I have sent you all something to your scrolls. Any work we do, you will send it to me digitally. That being said I will be far less tolerant on late assignments. And less so on assignments not turned in at all." **(A/N: If you ever used google classroom, imagine something like that.)**

Then, Cardin walks back in. Jaune stands up and indicates to stand opposite him.

"Summer, please be our referee for the fight." Jaune said. Summer quickly moves down and takes her place between the two men. Cardin won't lie to himself, he never was much of a fist fighting person, maybe for beating down someone but not actually against an opponent teaching him how. He then reminded himself this person was a fake, and he will prove it. Jaune was a massive 6 foot 6, a good 6 inches taller than Cardin.

"Fight!" The two ran at each other with Cardin throwing the first punch, however, Jaune grabbed his arm and used his own momentum to flip him over the 'professor' and onto the floor. Hitting the floor the hard on his face, he feels his arm get pulled behind his back, hard, then pinned in place painfully. The pain becoming too much, he taps the floor, submitting. Feeling his arm get released, he walks off the arena, angrier than before. The rest of the class was impressed.

Upon Cardin's return he continues, "Now then, anyone else question my ability to teach this class?" No one answered. "Now, what did he do wrong?" Weiss raised her hand.

"He was too hasty in his attack. He exposed himself to a counter attack." She said.

"Perfect. Now, I don't expect you to master what I'm trying to teach you in one year. After you leave this class, continue your training." Jaune said. Looking up at the clock, he sees the class has about five minutes left, he makes his decision. "Take these last few minutes to mingle." Jaune said, before returning to his desk. However, before he got to his desk, he stopped and turned around.

"One more thing, for those that were paying attention, there were no aura meters. In this class, you beat your opponents via submission. That means we will not be using tournament rules and guidelines. You will be graded based on how quickly you take down your opponent and how efficient you were at doing so. Any further questions?" No one raised their hand. After taking his seat at his desk, he allows his students to mingle and talk among themselves.

"That was such a cool fight. Cardin stood no chance!" Ruby yelled. Weiss simply groaned while the rest of her team and mom laughed a little.

"I will admit, this was the first time I've seen him fight." Summer said.

"I heard he took down a deathstalker with his bare hands!" Nora yelled. The few other students that were around were shocked by this, but reinforced what they were now getting: if any of them fought him, they were in serious trouble.

"I don't know about you guys, but I _really_ want to fight him." Yang said.

"I still trying to figure out why he put _you_ in this class, you're whole fighting style is based around boxing." Weiss said.

"He said he's also going to try to teach us control. That is your greatest weakness Yang." Blake said. Internally, Summer was agreeing with her. Yang however, was not very happy anymore.

"I'll have you know, I have great control." She retorted.

"No, she doesn't." Ruby said.

Yang put her hand over her heart in feigned pain. "My own sister betrayed me! How could you?!" Everyone started laughing.

"Ok guys, I think that's enough about what we think the Professor's done." Weiss said. Then Ruby spoke up.

"Hey Jean, what was he like back home?"

"He was dedicated to being a huntsman when he turned 6. Before that, he was being taught how to run the kingdom. There was talk about making him the heir to the throne." Jean said the last part quietly. Everyone, par Summer, was shocked by this.

"Wait, could he still be made the heir?" Weiss asked.

"Theoretically, yes. But, that would have to made by our grandfather, he's the one who holds the throne." Jean said

"But how likely would it be?" Pyrrha asked.

"I can't really say. If, no, _when_ mom comes to see him. She will be bringing those who will help our grandfather make his decision." Jean said. Before anyone could say anything else, the bell rings, allowing them to leave. Once everyone was out of the room, Summer came to talk to Jaune.

"What do you plan on doing when your mother arrives?" She asked. He sighed quietly.

"I-I don't know. I honestly have not a single clue. I do expect some less than happy words to be said first." Jaune said. "Then some hugs probably."

"I would've expected that." Summer said, while laughing lightly. "And were you serious? About fighting you?"

"Completely. I wish to gauge their abilities, personally. And why not give them their greatest challenge in this class?" Jaune said, with a small grin.

"Why do you want to fight your students?" Summer asked.

"Simple, we Spartans were created to fight. A war if necessary, and well, we did. Though I would still like to be out fighting with my brothers and sisters." Jaune said.

"What about the rest of the UNSC?" Summer asked. However, before he could answer several groups of students started following in.

"Another time. When I'm more comfortable about the subject." Jaune said. She simply nodded in acceptance.

A few hours later, the students had gathered up for lunch. While there are no rules stating that students had to eat in the cafeteria, most simply chose to do so. Sometimes as well, the staff would eat there as well, though most ate in their offices/rooms. On this day, however, Beacon's newest professor chose to eat there today. Grabbing some food, mainly protein and fruits, he was about to walk over to an empty table, when he sees his sister waving over at him. Smiling slightly, he walks over.

"Room for one more?" He asks. The eight students, yes, eight. Looked up.

"Professor! Yeah, we have a seat at the end." Ruby said, pointing at an empty chair. Jaune noted that teams RWBY and JNPR are bonding well together. Looking over at Yang, she had an evil grin.

"Hey professor, any chance we could get some extra credit?" She said. Weiss dropped her fork, Ren and Nora didn't even stop whatever madness they were doing, Jean and Ruby looked at Yang with shock, and Blake was simply giving her a disappointed look.

"Yang, what the heck!" Ruby said. Weiss now had an eye twitching.

"Mrs. Xiao Long, is my being here the first thing you think of?" Jaune asked, while cutting up a peach.

"Yang! You crude, unrefined, grrrrrr! I cannot believe the nerve of you!" Weiss yelled.

"Mrs. Schnee. While I assure you, I am not flattered by the offer/request. I may take it as a challenge." Jaune said setting everything in his hands down and looking up at the students. "I aim to improve everyone in the class by any means necessary. Including sparring with you all myself. If you are challenging me Mrs. Xiao Long, then please, state it." No one could help but look in shock. Yang however, was starting to look a little nervous.

"N-No thanks professor. I enjoy living." She said, scratching the back of her head in nervousness. The rest of the eight students seemed to deflate slightly, especially Weiss. The only sources of professionalism from any of the staff was Professor Goodwitch. Now at least, Professor Arc also had some of the Beacon Professionalism. Though she did not have class with either Professor Peach or Rose. It's strange to think that Ruby was Summer's daughter. She didn't carry any of her personality at all.

Yang on the other hand, was now very nervous. A challenge from Jau- Professor Arc? Yeah no. They may roughly be the same age, but he appeared to be leagues ahead on experience compared to the students. She enjoyed living, even if death was by smoking hot professor. Moving on, everyone was eating and chatting while Jaune was on his tac pad. The day after he arrived at Beacon, he managed to sync up his tac pad with the Cross Continental Transmit System (CCT), Remnant's main method of talking with each other over the planet. Though, if he was honest with himself, the encryption and firewalls were likely some of the best of the planet, if not the best. Each tac pad given to the Spartan's had it's system's heavily encoded by several smart AIs, ensuring complete secrecy. Also, if someone tried to breach the tac pad systems, it could send back a counter virus to the location of attempted hack, then alert the user, and for good reason, each tac pad did not only have command overrides for the Mjolnir armor, but also any information collected by any given Spartan during his or her mission. ONI had a standard procedure where after every mission, were each tac pad would be, not purged of all data, but anything above its base coding and cyber warfare systems would be removed by a smart AI. Since his disappearance was very abrupt, he still had not only top level communications between himself, John-117, and Admiral Cole, but intelligence of the Covenant fleet they attacked, and any information he pulled out of a terminal he hacked in the bridge.

Looking through the Remnant version of internet, he was mainly researching the current political goings of the planet. He was taking note of the larger than normal amount of dust robberies in Vale. All of them were commented by one Roman Torchwick. He did however notice something: all the dust shops robbed were within a 10-minute walk of the large abandoned industrial center on the east side of the city. Also, another thing he noticed, for as much Vale said it was having housing problems, there was a lot of unused land on the east side of the city. Mostly vacant factories and warehouses.

'Warehouses. The perfect place to hide.' He thought. He realized however, he was at an impasse, he had no way of actually hunting them down. He would bring this up with Ozpin later. Continuing to roam around the internet, he sees several sites talking about a large mining operation in the area around Vale, an expansion to the Altesian fleet, and a meteor shower around the island of patch and a large room found at a crash site. Continuing, further, he sees a few articles about Arcadia. One article states how they're solving housing problems, but also increasing the number of government workers from about 1000 to 5000, relieving the major unemployment problems the kingdom was having. Investigating the sudden migration of people to the capital, Jaune sees why, several of the major towns were overrun by the grimm causing several thousands of people to flood into the city.

Reading further, he sees the White Fang was starting to loosen on the Kingdom, with several of members saying Arcadia was the 'Faunus' best friend', in their words. Likely because the Faunus were actually free there. Closing his tac pad, he continues on with his classes. Towards the end of the day, he thinks of an idea for a field trip. Upon returning to his dorm, he starts making an outline of plan, then heads over to Glynda's office to finish details.

Meanwhile, in the core of the planet, a large structure suspended in magma could be seen, a dark red material covered its outside faces with large green lines crisscrossing over the edges. From the inside, on a monitor, a line of text in English could be seen: 'Additional human genetic material detected, moving to location.'

Back on the surface, Jaune's tac pad went off. Looking at it, he could see it's sensors are detecting a slip space jump nearby, very nearby. 'So, there's a ship nearby? I thought I would've seen it.'

 **Hey guys, so this is it. So, I'm going to be having a vote for the new name of the story, here's your choices:**

 **1: Altered Destiny: Return to Remnant.**

 **2: Altered Destinies**

 **And this wraps up RWBY Volume 1 and the beginning of Volume 2. I hope you guys enjoyed.**


	7. End of First Week

**Hey, guys, so I've made my decision (and seeing how a lack of poll answers really did anything) the story has been renamed to Altered Destiny: Return to Remnant. I hope you guys like it.**

 **Plasma Dragon 312: The story.**

 **Guest 1: Thank you for that.**

 **Sunken: Thank you for supporting him**

 **Mageguard: Thank you**

 **Smurphy1999: Thanks, man. That wasn't originally my intention, but I will roll with it.**

"Character dialogue"

'Character Thoughts'

"Radio/scroll communications"

'Scroll messages'

Waking up the next morning, Jaune rolled out of bed and looked at the calendar on the wall. On it, ten days have been crossed off.

' The first weekend on Remnant as a professor of Beacon you guys wouldn't believe me at all.' Jaune thought, thinking about the of rest Blue Team. Walking into the kitchen, he starts making a pot of coffee. Thinking over the past week, it has been a massive success. Now he can somewhat relax. However, upon walking into his office, he realized he forgot one thing: paperwork. Glynda approved of the field trip into the Emerald Forest, however, he would have to handle the paperwork.

Taking a seat at his desk, he begins to try and make a dent in the paperwork. A few hours and a pot of coffee later, he was interrupted by a knock on his door.

"It's open," He said. The person walking was a female. Looking up, he sees she has blonde hair and a pair of sawed-off shotguns on her thighs. She looked at him with surprise.

"She wasn't kidding when she said you were alive." She said. Thinking back to his childhood, he remembers her name, Bianca.

"Yes, I'm very much alive Bee," Jaune said. Calling her by the childhood nickname he gave her. "I'm sure you want to know how." She frowned slightly but nodded.

"That's a fucking understatement Jaune. Where the hell have you been!?" She asked.

"An easy answer would be to tell I was in the Vacuo badlands with a merc group, but you would know that's a load of shit." Jaune said.

"You're damn right I would. So, what's the hard answer?" She demanded, seeing how her brother wasn't going to give her some bullshit. Jaune stood up and walked over to his bedroom and started going through some things. Coming back out, he's holding a helmet of some kind. Sitting back down, he connects it with some kind of scroll she doesn't recognize. Then he looks at her.

"Do you recognize this?" He asked. She shook her head. "This is a Mjolnir air assault class helmet prototype. Built on planet Reach. I've spent the last 11 years off world."

She raised an eyebrow. "Off world? No one has that capability."

"No one from Remnant. Remnant was visited by an interstellar power called the UNSC. Why I was picked up right after they discovered Remnant is beyond me, but they did none the less and replaced me with a flash clone. From there I was conscripted into the Spartan II program to be trained as super soldiers."

"So you were kidnapped to be forced to become a super soldier? Why, though?" She asked.

"I wish I could tell you, but I can't. I don't have an answer." Jaune said.

"Then, how did you get back?" Bianca asked.

"I was pulled into a slipspace rupture. The thing that confuses me is why I arrived here on Remnant. I should still be in slipspace, going through like nothing. The only way that could happen was if the planet itself was in slipspace."

"What's the problem then?" She asked. She was now very curious.

"Well, neither the UNSC or another power called the Covenant has the ability to send such a large object into slipspace." Jaune said, then his eyes soften, but with some anger at the name Covenant.

"What are the Covenant?"

"A collection of alien races gathered together under a religion the declared a holy war against us. Their only wish to see humanity extinct." Looking up back at her sister, she was appalled.

"Were you winning?" She asked.

"No. They had the numerical and technological advantage. As far as I'm aware, the UNSC no longer exists. Or the other Spartans." Jaune said.

"How many other Spartans were there?" Bianca asked.

"75 before our augments. 33 remained after. The others either died or washed out."

"What were the augments that were given to you guys?"

"It-Its better you don't know. Trust me, you don't. Even though we were put anesthesia for the operation, when I woke up, it felt like my bones were replaced napalm and my skin was being torn off centimeter by centimeter with a dull, rusty knife. There is nothing more I could think of that could describe the pain, nor would I want to." Jaune said, trying not to remember the pain. His sister could only look in horror, her brother knows real pain. Quickly standing up, she wraps her brother in a hug, trying to make the memories go away.

Looking up, he smiles and thanks her. "So what now?"

"I guess tell mom and dad what you told me. They want to see you, and so do the rest of us." Bianca says.

"I know you guys do, but I'm working here in Beacon. Please, if they want to visit, my door's open." Jaune said. Taking his helmet back into his bedroom and putting it back in a chest with the rest of the armor.

Coming back in, Bianca had sat back down in her chair. "So, how's Arcadia doing?" He asked.

"So so. It really depends on how you look at it. On one hand, the White Fang have more or less started to leave the city, or at least the violent ones. On the other hand, several outlying towns and villages have been overrun by the grimm. Now there's a housing problem." She replied.

"I saw something about the last part. What the hell happened?" Jaune asked.

"It was nearly a massacre. Over a dozen settlements were lost and a major city outside of the capital slightly larger than the size of Mountain Glenn before its fall was nearly lost. If we lost it, it would've bad, end of discussion." She said.

"But you held on?"

"Yeah, we held." She said, with a small smile.

"That's all that matters then. You held the line where it counted, everything else is secondary." Jaune said while reaching over the putting his hand on her shoulder. However, before they could continue, Glynda entered the room.

Walking in, she was surprised to see the eldest Arc sibling in her coworker's office, "Am I interrupting something?"

"No, nothing important, simply catching up." Jaune said.

"Well, I came to see if that paperwork was done." She said.

"Nearly. Just a few minor details to finish up." Jaune said.

"Paperwork for what?" Bianca asked.

"An incursion into the Emerald Forest. I'm going to try to teach these kids to survive without their weapons." Jaune said. His sister nodded in approval.

"You would be very helpful in the Fury Combat Academy." She said.

"Well, I'm here. Not much I can do there while over here." Jaune said.

"You could try and bring some of our students over with you. The Jaden Islands have a grimm population and strength similar to the Emerald Forest." Bianca said.

"Isn't that out of my control, though? Can't only the headmaster do something like that?" Jaune asked.

"Or any academy's deputy headmaster/mistress." Glynda said.

"So only you or Ozpin could do this then?" Glynda nodded. "Maybe down the line perhaps. For now, though, no. I have the resources to train them here."

"Well before I leave, I do ask you finish that today. Have a good day you two." Glynda said, before leaving the two Arcs alone.

"I should probably finish this." Jaune said, indicating the paper in front of him. His sister simply laughed at his misfortune.

"I'll leave you to it then. It was nice to see you alive." Bianca said. Jaune stood up and gave her hug, which she gave back.

"And it's good being back home." He said, before watching his sister leave. However, before she left she asked one more thing, "Is your aura fully unlocked?" Jaune paused for a solid second.

"I'm not entirely sure. I know it's partially active, but fully? I don't know." He said.

"Then let's fix that then." She said. On the inside, Jaune was slightly nervous. He knows the augments were not part of his body originally, so he wasn't sure what would happen. Watching his sister put a hand on his chest and forehead, she started saying something. "For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee." When she finished, Jaune felt slightly rejuvenated, but not by much. "Well, your aura was mostly active but dormant. That'll let you use it all."

"Thanks, Bee. I won't lie, I was kinda worried." Jaune said.

She laughed at him a little again. "Well, I have huntress business to attend to, I'll see you later little brother." Then she walked out.

Upon sitting back down, one thought came into his mind: 'I wonder what else I missed'

Outside Bianca quickly pulled out her scroll and sent a message, "Mom, it's him. He's alive. I'll tell you what he told me when I get back'

'I look forward to it.' She replied. Bianca smiled. The rest of the family and the council refused the believe it when Jean said she found Jaune alive, now they know for a fact. With mom in Vale, she could only pray for her little brother.

Later on in the day, Team JNPR was walking towards the main landing pads. "So Jean, what did you need in Vale?" Her partner asked.

"I heard my older sister Bianca was in town. I was hoping to talk to her about something. What about you guys?" She asked.

"Pancake supplies." Ren said.

"Dust for my grenades!" Nora yelled.

"Some extra dust rounds and supplies for school." Pyrrha said. The four first-year students got onto the bullhead, however, a familiar face came on as well.

"Room for one more?"

"Professor! Uhh, yeah, we have room." Jean said. Jaune quickly got into a seat opposite them.

"So professor, what do you need in Vale?" Ren asked.

"Clothes. I've only got this thing right now." Jaune said, indicating to his body suit. Unknown to them, Jaune had ordered some clothes online, now he had to go get them. 'I need to thank Summer for that lien.' He thought. Summer had generously given him a few hundred lien for clothes.

"That would probably be for the best." Ren said. The five of them felt the bullhead lift off, then head towards downtown Vale. Above them, the Amity Colosseum was starting to move into the skies over Vale. Around it, several Atlassian ships escorted it. It was where the Vytal Festival Tournaments would be held.

"Are you excited for the festival professor?" Pyrrha asked. He looked at her.

"It will be interesting, but I've never been a fan of festivals. Though the dueling, well, a good old fashioned fight will be good to see." He replied.

"I agree! One of my favorite things to watch is people fighting each other!" Nora yelled. Both Jaune and her team laughed at her antics. A few minutes later, the bullhead lands at a landing pad. The five then proceeded to get off the bullhead before it takes off again. Walking through the city, Jaune could see how the city was in the early hours of the day.

"Kinda reminds me of New Alexandria in a way.' He thought to himself. Looking to his left, he could see team JNPR walk off to do their own things. Walking with an objective to complete, Jaune headed down to the clothing store he bought from online. An hour and around a hundred lien later, he walked out with his new clothes, custom made for his size. Walking out, he notices team RWBY with team JNPR.

"Good morning professor." He hears Ruby say. The rest of the students turn to greet him. Looking at the sun, he sees it's more like noon.

"It seems more like noon more than anything else Mrs. Rose." Jaune replies.

"Well, it's still a good day anyways!" She said back. Jaune couldn't help but smile.

"I agree. Today's a good day to get errands done. So what have you ladies been up to." He asked.

"We went shopping." Ren said. Jaune's heart instantly died a little for him

"I feel sorry for you." Jaune said. Ren gave a small smile, at least the professor knew his pain.

"Hey, we weren't that bad!" Yang said. Ren simply indicated to the large number of bags he was carrying.

"It seems like you were Mrs. Xiao Long." Jaune said.

"Well, have you considered my offer?" Yang joked. A vein showed itself in Weiss' forehead. The rest of the students simply tried not to laugh, with some levels of success.

"Calm down Mrs. Schnee, I will not accept the offer, but will challenge you to a spar, if you're up for it." Jaune said. Yang started to get nervous again.

"I-I think I'll pass for now professor." She said. Weiss appeared to calm down. The rest of them managed to control their laughter, with most of them managed to get off the ground, or Ren in Nora's case.

"Professor, you said that you would be sparring against us at some point, are you serious about that?" Pyrrha asked.

"Very much so Ms. Nikos. Where I was trained, sparring against each other gave us skills and endurance that simple practice and learning couldn't teach us. So sparring against me is two-fold: to gauge your abilities and to teach you some unseen abilities." Jaune said. Feeling his chest pocket go off, he grabbed his tac pad and set his things on the ground.

"Arc here. Alright, I'm on my way." He said. "It appears I have some, things, to deal with at the academy, I will see you, ladies, and Ren, later."

"What type of scroll was that?" Ruby asked.

"I've never seen a type like that." Weiss said.

"Ok, maybe he came with it. He came with a lot of new technology." Pyrrha said. It was common knowledge among the two teams that Jaune stayed off the world for a while, then returned.

"Well, maybe he made it. He's definitely not the same Jaune that left." Jean said.

"Ok, well can we get going, I want to get some studying in for Oobleck's class." Weiss said. The rest of them, par Ren and Pyrrha, groaned in agony. But none the less followed her out. Back at Beacon, Jaune had dropped off his new clothes, then headed up to Ozpin's office. In the office, Ozpin was speaking with General Ironwood via hologram, along with a hologram of his father.

"And he's here." Ozpin said.

"You called for me Ozpin?" Jaune said. "And father?" Before his dad could say anything

"Have a seat." He indicated to the empty chair. "James?"

"Mr. Arc. We tracked your entry into Remnant's atmosphere, but before that, we picked up a signal we were hoping you could help with a problem." Ironwood said.

"What problem?" He asked.

"Around an hour after you entered the atmosphere, we picked a very brief signal. Now normally, this would be of little concern, but it reappeared around an hour ago." Ironwood continued.

"Ok, this is relevant, how?" Jaune asked.

"Vlad?" James asked.

"According to Ironwood here, the signal was closer to the ground, around 70ish kilometers south of Arcadia." Jaune's father said.

"Ok, were there any fireballs detected? Any sizeable impact crater? Anything that could give off a signal that could be detected in several places at once has to have a large transmitter." Jaune said.

"The problem lies with fact that we can't decode it. We here hoping you help with this." Ozpin said.

"Ok, but why me? I know I just fell from space but that doesn't give me the answers to everything." Jaune said.

"That's the only because what we actually got was this: Mayday mayday this FFG-229. We are going down, I repeat, we are going down. We have lost contact HIGHCOM and FLEETCOM, we need immediate assistance." " That was the signal we picked up." Ozpin said. The three older men saw Jaune was in thought.

"FFG. That's a classification for a Paris Class Heavy Frigate but the number I can't identify. Is there anymore?" Jaune asked.

"There was large coded piece that came with it that we can't decode. Since you've managed to identify its ship class, then you can help us." Ironwood said. Jaune pulled out his tac pad from his chest pocket.

"Alright, send it all to my tac pad here. Without an AI it'll take time. And even then, it may be a broken piece of code." Jaune said, then he hears it go off. Looking down at it, he sees that Ozpin sent him the code.

"Let us know when you get something." Ozpin said. Before Jaune could leave, his father spoke up.

"I need to know, what the last trip as family we took?" Ozpin and Ironwood raised and eyebrow.

"I believe that was the camping we had in the Jaden Islands, that beowolf scared the shit out of all of us." Jaune replied. His father appeared satisfied, then his hologram disappeared. Ozpin and Ironwood looked at him, and he simply shrugged his shoulders then left.

"Could he not be telling us something?" Ironwood asked.

"There's always that possibility James, but Jaune was able to discern the ship's class" Ozpin replied.

"My question is: what is: HIGHCOM and FLEETCOM?" Ironwood said out loud.

"Again, he'll tell us when he's ready." Ozpin said.

Meanwhile, in his office, Jaune was beginning to decode the signal. Starting with the ship's name: UNSC Eagles Talon. Paris Class Heavy Frigate. However, before he could decode it further, someone walked in. Looking up, it was Glynda.

"Glynda, how may I be of service?" He asked.

"It's about your Emerald Forest 'incursion'. There's a detail I don't like."

"And that is?"

"You're asking the students to go in half an hour before dawn, most aren't trained to fight then."

"You want to make hunters out of them right?" She nodded. "They will need to be able to fight in any conditions. Starting a little before dawn will them help them train for that." Jaune said, however, Glynda did not look impressed.

"We do teach them. They begin that part of their training in their second year." Jaune looked at her, then shook his head in disappointment.

"You need to start that sooner. The sooner the better. Our drill instructor, Chief Mendez, taught us that the more familiar you are with the dark, the better everywhere else you'll be. Plus being able to find your own ass in the dark without a map or a flashlight is handy too." Jaune said.

"-Sigh- Alright, I'll leave it in your care, but it's your ass if something goes wrong." Glynda said.

"Murphy's Law Glynda, what can go wrong will go wrong." Jaune said. This didn't help ease her at all. Behind her, he was laughing. A few hours later, he began his audio log.

"Audio log timestamp 14:55 Remnant Vale Central Time, date 10-05-2526. I don't know why I still use the UNSC calendar, maybe it's just me being stubborn I guess. I don't know anymore. So, I got my new clothes, I'll have to pay Summer back at some point. This morning I was visited by my eldest sister Bianca. We talked mostly. About where I was, about, I don't know anymore. We were taught to be warriors, to face our demons in some way, but mine, mine still haunt me. My failure to save, I-I don't know. It feels like I'm failing, but the logical side of me tells me I haven't failed anyone." He pauses for a moment.

"Moving on, I learned that my mother is in Vale indirectly. I don't know if I should be scared or not." He chuckles slightly. "Anyways, Ozpin wanted to talk to me earlier, in his office was a hologram of General Ironwood of Atlas and my father. The short version of the story, they picked up a distress call from the Paris Class Heavy Frigate UNSC Eagles Talon. I don't think it's landed, or crashed yet. They wouldn't have come to me if there was a crash site. No, I think it still might be in orbit. I'll wait and see. Arc-034 out." Jaune finished.

Later on, at a staff meeting, plus extra dinner, everyone was talking about various subjects. Jaune was talking about his training, in depth, mostly to Raven. However, mid-sentence he stopped talking and completely zoned everyone and thing out.

"Jaune! JAUNE!" Summer yelled.

"Wh-What? Sorry." He said.

"What was that all about?" Summer asked.

"You ever had that feeling where you know something terrible happened, but you don't know exactly what?" Jaune asked. Even though everyone raised an eyebrow, it was Raven who spoke up.

"Everyone does. Why?" She asked.

"Cuz I just got that feeling. . ." Jaune said, feeling the emotion roll over him again.

Meanwhile, over planet Reach, a spartan was falling from a large alien ship, a Covenant Supercarrier. Under it, a purple orb was starting to form under it before rapidly expanded to cover most of the middle half of the ship before collapsing again. The part of the ship covered by the sphere was completely gone with the two remaining pieces start drifting towards the planet. In one of his hands was a pair of dog tags. Looking down at them one last time before re-entering the planet's atmosphere, it reads Jorge-052. Then the compression of air around him starts telling him to brace for reentry.


	8. Field Trip

**Hey guys, so this way overdue. Simple reason, when I spent the entire month of February, I didn't feel comfortable typing there. Since then, I've been trying to get back on schedule. Speaking of schedules, I've created a basic typing schedule, I will be working on one story at a time in this order: Turian/Militia War, Team Bandit, and Altered Destinies. It's really based on which story I just worked on. Also, for future stories, I'm likely gonna wait till one or more stories are complete. Now then, let's get started.**

 **MilodicMellodi1: Thank you.**

 **Holyknight: You're onto something.**

 **Plasma Dragon 312: Neither.**

 **Smurphy1999: Don't worry, it will this chapter.**

"Character Dialogue"

'Character Thoughts'

" _Radio/Scroll Dialogue"_

' _Scroll messages'_

-Sound effects/time skips-

"Audio Log Timestamp 1352. Date 11-05-2526. Or would it 2540? I'm not sure. I've been decoding the distress beacon from the UNSC Eagles Talon. What I found disturbed me. It was constructed in 2537. Over a full decade after I left Harvest. How long was I in slipspace? In other news, my mother didn't come to speak with me, yet. And that scares me a little. I don't know why she left Vale, I kinda don't wanna know. Back to the Eagles Talon, I've trying to predict a landing zone for the frigate, but everything I send to Ironwood comes up empty, so I've given up for the time being. Moving on, there's some, fighting between students, I've seen Mr. Winchester being and becoming a main source of problems. But no one has anything to do say it was him. Though everyone knows it was him. Another problem, his father. Old Man Winchester is very influential in the Vale Council, meaning we can't remove Cardin. I guess we'll just have to make due, Sierra -034 out." Jaune said.

Setting his tact pad on the coffee table, he sighed in relief. Truth be told, I was slacking on doing the audio logs. Ozpin's warning about the workload was not wrong, he was always doing something. Granted, he had the least amount of paperwork compared to the other staff, but it was still significant. Getting up, he starts making a few burgers and fries.

-Knock Knock Knock- "Jaune, may I come in?" Jaune heard. It was Glynda.

"You know it's always open." He replied. He heard the door open.

"I've got good news for you, your trip to the Jaden Island has finally come through." Jaune's eye widened in surprise.

"I thought you said it wouldn't come in for another month or so."

"I did, but someone forwarded it in the Fury Academy, meaning, you're clear to go."

"Well, that's fricking great! I'll need to tell the class tomorrow." Jaune said.

"Good, Ozpin wants the trip to be taken within the next week," Glynda said, before leaving and closing the door.

"Well, some good news at last." Jaune said, sitting down and eating his food.

While eating, his tac pad went off, connecting it to his holo-tv, sees the Paris Class Heavy Frigate UNSC Eagles Talon. He created a basic program to decode the signal using the access codes already in his tac pad. Looking at it closely, he sees new pieces of information, it's armory and arsenal. Looking closely at them, he sees it was completely re-hauled, it still only had the one MAC cannon, but now, it had 80 Archer Missile Pods, each pod has 30 missiles per pod. It also had 36 M910 Point-defense guns. Now he was no expert, but the ship had twice the missiles and three times the point defense grid. It's crew quarters were drastically reduced to only be able to house a crew of 150 standard crew, allowing both more weapons and a larger vehicle bay. Unfortunately, no more information on the vehicle bay was available, at all. It wasn't in the data packet that came with the distress signal.

Now he didn't tell anyone that all UNSC ships send a basic data packet with their distress beacon which has it's armorment and basic crew size estimates. Until now, hearing something behind him he turns around to see one of Raven's portal with both her and Qrow coming out.

"Whatcha got there?" Qrow asked.

"Remember that distress beacon Ironwood and Ozpin sent me?" Jaune asked.

"Yes, the one about the Frigate? Why, is there more information?" Raven said, daring Jaune to answer.

"Simple, all UNSC distress beacon sends a basic data packet to give search and rescue teams an idea of what to look for. I didn't tell anyone because this is sensitive intel." Jaune said.

Qrow groaned. "You sound like Jimmy, Ironwood, now."

"Incase you've forgotten, I've spent the last decade in a military, so yeah, I'm gonna use military terms." Jaune said.

"Yes, but that doesn't tell me why you didn't tell anyone." Raven said.

"Simple, I don't trust anyone with this information. I'm trying to find out what I can about this specific ship." Jaune said.

"Alright, fine. You have to spar against me. I want to see what you remember from our training lessons." Raven said, smirking. Qrow was now feeling very sorry him. Jaune simply looked at her with some joy almost.

"I was wondering when you were gonna ask. Challenge accepted." Jaune said, smirking. Qrow's jaw was on the floor while Raven was giving him the same smirk.

"One hour, sparring room. Don't be late." She said, before walking out. Qrow managed to pick his jaw off the floor and simply stared at Jaune.

"You realize you just made it a challenge right?" Qrow asked.

"Yeah, I know. We Spartans either go all the way with training, or we don't do it at all." Jaune said, finishing his lunch.

Inside the sparring room, some of the staff were gathered up, along with some of the students, notably, Teams RWBY, JNPR, CRDL, and CFVY. Among the attendees was also Jaune's sister Olivia, the second oldest of the Arc siblings.

"So Olivia, what do you think will happen?" Summer asked. Truth be told, everyone wasn't sure what was gonna happen. Sure Raven was Raven, the best swordsman on Remnant, but to those that knew, Jaune was an augmented super-soldier with unknown capabilities.

"I honestly don't know." Olivia said. Sadly, she fairly in the dark on what happened to Jaune.

"Who wants to put a bet down? I bet on Jaune winning." Port said. Everyone started to bet on the two fighters. Most of whom were betting weren't sure, but were more confident in Raven's abilities.

In the arena, Raven tossed Crocea Mors to him, graciously loaned to him by Jean. "You can still back out."

"Nah. Everyone's too hyped to end it now. Besides, people have money on the line." Jaune said. Looking down at Crocea Mors, he was getting a feeling for the weapon. He had also taken the knife from his Mjolnir armor and placed it on his chest. The sword was exactly as he remembered it, the weight, the feeling in his hands, it was one of the things he missed the most after joining the spartan program. Glynda stepped between the two.

"For this match, standard tournament rules will apply. Once your opponent's aura has reached the red zone, the match is over. Are the two opponents ready?" Glynda said. Both nodded. Olivia took note of each other's combat wear. Raven's outfit hadn't changed much over the years (What she was wearing in Qrow's picture of Team STRQ) while Jaune had forgone his body suit in favor of a freer moving uniform. He had a simple white T-shirt on with the UNSC logo on it. On the back was an image of his air assault helmet with two swords making something along the lines of a skull and crossbones. He had combat boots on with white loose shorts. On Earth, they would've been something like basketball shorts. All of these, allows everyone to see the multitude of scars on his arms, legs, head, and parts of his chest.

"Begin!" Glynda yelled. Neither Raven nor Jaune made the first move, but both started circling each other looking for a weakness in each other, while also sizing each other up. Then Raven made the first move, she quickly dashed forward and attempted to disarm Jaune, but failed when Jaune moved to her left with the same level of speed, but not as much skill as her. As he dashed, he attempted to slash at her but failed. However, it did temporally force her to go on the defensive.

Not wanting to be outdone, she quickly turns to her right and makes a twisting slash at Jaune, he, however, parried the attack, bringing both of them into a sword lock. Strength wise, Jaune was superior, however, Raven was clearly more precise with her attacks with more control. Then, both made very fast sword strikes at each other, Jaune had by now gone into 'Spartan Time', allowing him to keep pace.

To everyone else in the stands, it was as if both were moving in fast motion, with only a few barely able to keep up. By now, more students had arrived, along with Ironwood.

"So these two are sparring?" Ironwood asked.

"Yes. It appears Mr. Arc is able to keep pace with Raven." Ozpin said. Looking to his left, Ozpin could see Olivia recording the fight.

"This will be interesting." Ironwood said. Back with the two fighters, both had ceased their attacks and went back to a standoff. Both know had a good gauge on their abilities. Raven was very much impressed, few could keep up with her, but Jaune could easily keep up. However, what shocked everyone was the fact both of their auras were in the in the yellow.

'Very impressive. He's more than capable. I wonder,' She thought. Her clan could always use another strong fighter with them. Meanwhile, Jaune was thinking about how to end this fight sooner.

'Alright, very good coordination and precision. She's also very fast, my spartan time was taxed. I need to end this quickly.' He thought.

'Holy crap. When did my brother get so good? I don't remember him being this good at sword fighting.' Olivia thought.

"What's wrong? Not used to a good fighter?" Raven taunted.

"No. I'm just used to my opponents trying to kill me." Jaune said back.

"You want to raise the stakes?" Raven asked.

"Hmm. No. Not yet." Jaune said. He then did something strange. He flipped the sword around and grabbed it by the blade with one hand while grabbing his knife with his other. Raven charged at him again, though this time, Jaune threw the sword at her like a javelin, Raven quickly creates a portal in front of the sword then creates a portal behind Jaune. He quickly turns around and grabs the swords handle and swings at Raven.

Raven however simply disarmed Jaune and tossed him into a wall. She then quickly got over him and put her sword over his throat. "Yield"

"I give." Jaune said. Raven simply let him get back on his feet.

"You fought well, but you clearly didn't train in sword combat." She said.

"You're right, I didn't. I specialized in ranged combat." Jaune said.

"I can tell. You have much to learn still." Raven said before both walked off the stage. In his classroom, he was setting up some punching bags to beat again when someone comes in.

"You're free to watch if you want." Jaune said.

"I would hope so." A female says. Looking up, he sees his sister Olivia.

"So what's up? I assume you saw the fight?" Jaune asked.

"Yeah I did. I wanted to see again. It's been almost ten years if not more." Olivia said. Jaune started hitting the punching bag.

"You're not -grunt- wrong. -grunt- That was a tough fight. -Grunt. Grunt. Grunt.- I probably should've known better." Jaune said.

"You're right for once right. You should know better. Dad taught you better." Olivia scolded.

"-Grunt- I'm sorry that was the head of the guards for awhile. -Grunt Grunt- I know he taught me to choose my opponents wisely and all, but do you want to know what happened? In detail?" Jaune asked.

"The only thing I know is what Jean told the council. Which was not a lot." Olivia said

"What did Jean tell the council?" Jaune asked, genuinely intrigued.

"Well, that what we buried was a flash clone while you were kidnapped for the last ten years. No one was happy to hear that first part and still not so happy about that second part." Olivia answered.

"Naturally." Jaune said. Continuing to beat the punching bag.

"What happened to you Jaune?" Olivia asked quietly.

"A lot happened actually." Jaune said. Then he stopped beating the punching bag and started thinking about something. "Stay here for a minute." Olivia was confused but stayed put. Some students came in and studied there a little. Professor Arc allowed students to use his room as a place to study and to ask him questions on certain topics. When he returned, he had a helmet of some kind.

"Since ONI's gonna have my sorry ass anyway." Jaune said, confusing Olivia a little. He plugs it into his school computer and starts downloading a file. "Give me your scroll." He said Olivia gives him her scroll.

"What I'm about to give can only be seen by the council. If I find out you shared this with anyone else, I will kill you and anyone else who saw this. This my helmet feed for an operation somewhere. A place called Epsilon Indi IV, otherwise known as Harvest. This my last log for the ground side operation. Show this to the council. This will give them an idea for I've been doing for the last ten years." Jaune said, handing Olivia her scroll back.

A few hours later, Jaune was sitting in his dorm watching some planetary news. On his coffee table were his magnum and his scroll. Seeing his scroll going off with an unknown number. He answers.

"Hello?" Jaune says.

"Jaune? It's your dad." He hears.

"Hey, dad. Did the council get my video?" Jaune asked.

"They did. Olivia told all of us the threat you told her. You scared her half to death. She may be a huntress, but you know she's somewhat scared like that." It was his father, Vlad Arc.

"That was the point dad." Jaune said.

"Why the secrecy? Where were you in the video?" His dad asked.

"Epsilon Indi IV. Also known as planet Harvest. It's a UNSC outer colony. Did Bianca tell you anything?" Jaune asked.

"More information than the council. She told the family what you told her and Jean. Your mother's not happy." He said.

"How unhappy?" Jaune asked. As if to answer his question, his door slammed open and his mother, Mariette Arc, was standing there. "I'll call you back."

"Good luck." His father said. Then Ruby appeared in front of his mother.

"I'm sorry Professor! Itriedtostopherfromcoming-" Ruby was cut off by Jaune's hand.

"It's fine Ms. Rose. You may leave." Jaune said. Jaune's mother walking into the room, then Ruby closed his door. "Mom. I was wondering when you'd arrive." He felt a hand smack his check, then a tight hug. He noticed how small she was compared to him. A small 5'6'', at least compared to his 6'5''

"The first thing you say to me is 'I was wondering when you'd arrive'!?" She yelled. He returned the hug.

"Well I mean, it's entirely my fault. I thought multiple times you were gonna come see me." Jaune said. She feels her tighten the hug then sigh a breath of relief.

"You have no idea much we've missed you. All of us. Not just the kingdom. They want their prince back." His mother quietly said.

"I know they do miss me. But my priority is staying here Beacon. At least till tomorrow." Jaune said. His mother steps back.

"Tomorrow? What's happening tomorrow?" She asked.

"We're gonna be going to the Jaden Island tomorrow. My class. We're gonna have some basic survival and hand-to-hand training there. A good place to train in the wilds, but still close enough for support and away from anywhere they would now." Jaune explained.

"Wait, you're a teacher? What do you teach?" His mother asked.

"I'm the hand-to-hand combat instructor, though I also aim to improve their control, endurance, and stamina." Jaune said.

"Would you not be satisfied as a regular combat instructor?" She asked.

"No. Aside from the fact, no one has been a hand-to-hand combat instructor here a while, most of these students don't know how to survive without their weapons. They rely on them too much. And Glynda's not helping in that regard." Jaune said.

"You're not happy with how she teaches?" His mother asked.

"I can't tell her how to teach, but it seems like she's teaching these who fight everything but the grimm. With only the occasionally going into the forest. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she teaching them how to fight a war." Jaune said. He finally sits down on the couch, with his mother sitting next to him.

"Fury is not like that at all. I make sure that everyone fights the grimm in the island and outside the city walls. Hell, I've gotten patrol to take third and fourth years with them." His mother said.

"I approve. Sending into the field will teach them more than a classroom will." Jaune said.

"So when do you leave for Jaden?" She asked.

"Tomorrow. Around 6. I've told everyone that if you're left behind, your loss, not mine." Jaune said.

"That's harsh Jaune."

"We Spartans were trained harshly." Jaune replied.

"So when are going to stay at the palace again? We all want to see you. The kingdom wants to see you again." His mother said.

"This winter. I told myself I would go to Arcadia again once the semester was over." Jaune said. His mother appeared, pleased by the answer.

"Good. You have some explaining to do to all of us." She said, getting up. Before stepping out, she stopped and turned to him. "Oh, and Mary's waiting for you." She said with a grin. Jaune simply groaned.

"Really? You all will never let me live that down are you?" Jaune asked.

"Nope." She said. Once out the door, Jaune sighed in relief.

"Why is it I feel like I got off easy?" He whispered to himself.

Waking up the next morning to his alarm, he was still sitting on the couch with the Monday morning news playing. Realizing he had about an hour to prepare, he jumps in the shower. About ten minutes later, he hops out and heads on over to his classroom. To his surprise, some students were already there.

'Bonus points for being early.' He thought. He sits down in his chair and starts packing a few, last minute things. More and more students started coming in as he continued to pack. Looking up again, he sees his entire class there, most if not all were very tired.

"For those that can, you may sleep on the bullhead there. It's gonna be a few hours before we arrive." He says. He sees several students relax. Looking down at his tac pad one more time, he sees he finally has the go-ahead for the loading of the students. "Alright, everyone, head the landing pads and load up. We're green." Not waiting for his students to verbally answer him, he starts walking out of the room. Using his spartan hearing, he hears everyone behind him.

Upon reaching the landing pads, he sees an oversized bullhead waiting for him and his students. Checking one last time, he has two giant duffel bags, one with his weapons and Mjolnir armor, and the other one has extra clothes and other supplies.

"Alright everyone, hop in and find a seat." Jaune said, getting into the bullhead he chooses a seat near the cockpit. "Pilots, how long till we get there?"

"About three hours. We'll have the jet stream behind us the entire way." One of the pilot's replies.

"Get some rest if can. This is pretty early, even for us." The other pilot says.

-Three hours later, airspace over the Fury Combat Academy-

"This is Beacon Delta Bravo Delta, requesting permission to land." One of the pilots says.

" _Permission granted Delta Bravo Delta. Welcome to Fury_." The air controller replies.

"Alright everyone, we're here. Make sure you don't leave anyone or thing behind." Jaune says, standing up. Everyone starts to do the same. Jaune notices Jean slugging around. "Sleep well?"

"A little. I've had worse sleep." Jean says. Everyone feels the bullhead touch down on a landing pad, then the doors open. The first thing the academy reminded Jaune of was the Neuschwanstein Castle on Earth, though it appeared more extended out. Looking out over the water, he could see the Jaden Atoll that the Jaden Island was named after.

"Welcome to Fury everyone. I hope your flight was well." Someone says. Looking forward, Jaune sees the deputy of the academy, Stummer Wanderer, a fox faunus, who looked very similar to Glynda actually. However the two differed in their apparel, Stummer didn't have a cape like Glynda and had a gray uniform consisting of an elbow long shirt that was somewhat loose in the abdomen and khakis like pants. She also had her hair in two different french braids that went over her shoulders, and on her head was two gray fox ears.

"It could've been worse." Jaune says. She looked surprised to see Jaune here.

"Your majesty, I didn't expect to see you here." Stummer said. She nearly stumbled over her words but caught herself.

"This is my class, I suggested this trip. And drop the majesty shit, not while I'm here." Jaune said. She was surprised by his tone.

"Very well then Mr. Arc. Let's get all of you inside. I'm sure many of you are hungry." Wanderer says. The cafeteria was also similar to Beacons in a way, though it had some differences, a buffet area, and more room to eat, which included a balcony that went around the room.

"I remember when they were redoing this" Jaune said out loud.

"That project lasted over a year. They're still updating some parts of the academy." Stummer says.

"Still? After a decade?" Jaune asked, surprised.

"It's been on and off. When the budget allows it."

"What's left?" Jaune asked.

"Nothing important, just some outside aesthetics that could be made to look better."

"It all looks fine to me." Jaune said.

"That's because you've stayed with a military for the last ten years." Stummer said, looking surprised then realized his error.

"Right, I forgot. The deputy of Fury is on the council."

"You are correct. Myself and Headmistress Mots Sages saw the video you gave Olivia. It was something. It scared a lot of us." She said.

"Yeah, I figured that would've happened. But I know the council wanted answers. They got some." Jaune said.

"We've got more now. What were those things you were fighting?" Another voice said from behind, it was the headmistress.

"Not now. Too many ears." Jaune whispers. Both women nod in understanding.

"So what's the schedule for you and your students?" Sages asked.

"I'm gonna let them take the day to rest from the flight, and get to learn this academy some more." Jaune said.

"Then learning in the field." Stummer said as a matter of fact.

"Yup." Jaune replied. "If you'll excuse me, I'm hungry." The two ladies nod and walk off to do their own thing, Jaune goes and gets some food.

Later on that day, Jaune was walking around the academy, remembering when his father took him there when he was seven. The academy was very aesthetically pleasing inside. The walls had a nice blue, white, and red color scheme on the inside with a black, red, and gold color scheme on the outside. While walking, many of the students were surprised and even shocked to see him. Finding a balcony, Jaune leans over the edge and looks out over the water and toward the Atoll again. One of the islands was sending out smoke, it was an active volcano, not dissimilar to the Mauna Loa in Hawaii. Behind it, the sun was only an hour or so from going down.

However, his train of thought was shattered by something in the skies. A large, gray ship of some kind suddenly appears over the academy and flies over to the island. He catches a glimpse of the side, UNSC Eagles Talon.

"Shit." He quietly says. His scroll then goes off.

" _Mr. Arc, did you see that?"_ Stummer asks.

"Oh, I saw it alright. I'm going with some students over there for search and rescue. Get more behind us, we'll need more people to keep the grimm out of it." Jaune says.

" _Understood_." She says, before hanging up.

"This is Professor Arc to all Beacon students, head back to the landing zone!" Jaune yells into his scroll.

-Same time, Jaden Island ground-

"Ugh . . . what the hell happened? Any why am I embedded into the ground?" A spartan asked. He, based on his voice, was taking note of what little surroundings he had. He was in an SOEIV pod for sure.

"Your drop pod descended at a high enough speed to the penetrate the first 1.24 meters if the forest floor." Someone said. The spartan recognized it as his AI.

"Fantashtisch. Do you know what the hostiles on my motion sensor are?" He asked.

"Nein, aber sie sind organische," The AI said.

"Yay hostile organic life-forms. Just as long as they're not covies. Alright, I'm gonna pop the hatch on my mark, 3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . . Mark!" He yells. He quickly jumps out of the pod after the hatch shoots out. The hatch slams into one of the creatures. Outside, he quickly aims at one of the creatures and open fires on werewolf looking thing. Killing all of the creatures with little difficulty.

"Adler, what are these things?" He asked, watching the bodies vaporize.

"Unknown sir. I don't recognize them in any system I have." Alder says.

" _-Ew! Drew! Do you hear me?"_ Someone yells over the radio.

"I hear you Preston, where are you?" The spartan, now known as Drew asked.

" _Unknown! Layne took a hit on the way down, she's confirmed down over!_ " Preston yelled.

"What's her status? And Dakota?" Drew asked.

" _Dakota's with me. And Layne was hit by some kind of giant ass feather on the way down. She got clipped on the side. She's unconscious down here_." Preston replies.

"Giant ass, Feather? Did you say that correctly?" Drew asked.

"I can confirm, there are several airborne hostiles that appear similar to the creatures you just killed." Alder confirms.

"Well shit. Alder, how far are they?"

"298 meters southeast. Marking now." Alder says. Drew starts sprinting towards them.

"Drew. Thank god. I'm hurt badly." Layne says quietly, before losing consciousness again. Drew is quickly by her side, looking at her wounds.

"Is she stable?" Drew asks.

"Affirmative. But we cannot move." Alder says.

"Drew, I've got multiple heat signatures to our southeast. They appear to be moving towards us." Preston said.

"Alright, take up positions. Alder, find some civilization." Drew said.

"The nearest settlement is 6 clicks away. However, there are several aircraft closing on the crash site. Recommending you send a distress beacon." Alder says.

"Agreed." Drew says.

-Airspace over Jaden Island-

"Professor." Cardin says, catching Jaune's attention. "What are looking for?"

"We're looking for survivors. Survivors from that crash." Jaune replies, pointing at the ship.

"What kind of ship is that?" Blake asked.

"I don't know. But if there are survivors, we're gonna assist them in any way we can." Jaune said, lying through his teeth.

"Professor, I've got a distress beacon, patching it in now." The pilot says.

" _This is Delta-07 of the UNSC broadcasting on all available channels. Location unknown with multiple unknown hostiles rapidly approaching. Requesting any nearby assistance. We have one critically wounded and currently incapacitated. Need immediate evac. Please respond."_

"Pilot, open a channel on all frequencies." Jaune said. "Delta-07 identify yourself, this is Sierra-034," Jaune said.

" _Sierra-034?" Uhh, we need immediate assistance. Where are you?"_

"We are currently airborne, what's your location?" Jaune asked.

" _We're somewhere in the forest. Popping a flare now."_

"I see it! They're over there!" Ruby says, pointing towards a red flare in the trees.

"Alright, Team RWBY, head to their location, the rest you, we'll secure the ship's crash site." Jaune says.

"There's a good landing zone there. Setting it down now." The pilot says.

"Alright ladies, get moving!" Jaune says before Team RWBY jumps out of the bullhead.

"Alright, let's find them." Ruby says before the four started going towards the survivors.

"Nine o'clock! Nine o'clock!" Someone yelled. In front of them, several ursas that were charging someone were completely destroyed by heavy weapons fire.

"We see you four out there! Get over here!" Someone yelled. The four ran up to the entrenched position. There was three people standing and another one who was one the ground, unconscious.

"Is this everyone?" Blake asked.

"Yes. We're all that arrived." One of them said.

"Who are you?" Ruby asked.

"I'm D-07. The one with the sniper rifle is D-08. The one on the ground is D-14, and the ugly one there is D-29." D-07 says.

"Fuck you too!" D-29 yells, while giving him the middle finger.

"Do you have real names?" Yang asked.

"Drew. Alder, how far is the ship?" Drew asked.

"17 klicks away." A fifth person says.

"Who was that?" Weiss asked.

"Our AI, Alder. Now, we told you our 'names', what are yours?" Drew says.

"I'm Ruby Rose. That's Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Xiao Long. We're team RWBY. We were told to come get you." Ruby said.

"There's one thing I'm not getting though, your armor." Blake says,

"What about it?" Drew says.

Blake pulls something out, "Does this look familiar to you?" She asked, showing them a picture of Professor Arc's armor.

"That looks like a type of Mjolnir armor. Alder, run it through." Drew said.

"The armor matches the last known configuration of Spartan II Arc-034. Last reported MIA over Harvest in 2526." Alder says.

"Wait, you all know Professor Arc?" Ruby asked.

"Professor? Why the fuck did he become a professor?" D-29 asked.

"I have the same question. Can you get us into contact with him?" Drew asked.

"I can try." Blake says. She then types into her, something, whatever it is.

"I heard you know me. Identify yourselves." Jaune says over the scroll.

"Spartan Drew-07 sir. Spartan Class III Delta Company." Drew says.

"Spartan IIIs and Delta Company? I'm afraid I'm not familiar with the two. I left in 2526." Jaune said.

"Sir, it's 2552." Drew says. Silence.

"Return to the ship, we have secured it. Then your gonna tell me everything that I missed. Ruby, see to it they arrive safely." Jaune says.

"Alright everyone, let's get going." Drew says.

"I'm not going anywhere with these four!" Weiss stated definitely.

"Oh come one Weiss, these guys know Jaune. They can't possibly be planning anything." Ruby pleaded, trying not to get her team split up.

"No! I will not trust these 'people' that fell from the sky and are ordering us around and telling us to do what they say. I will not have not any part in it. Especially since we know nothing about them. Am I the only one who is even slightly cautious around here? Ugh. It doesn't matter. We were supposed to out here training, not on some lame salvage mission. All us should be heading back to Fury and you four should forget about your lousy ship and-"

-Smack-

"I'm drawing the line there. First of all, you have no right to call a ship you know literally nothing about lousy? Second, that ship holds material so sensitive that you could be executed for interfering with a Spartan deployment. Third, I understand if you choose not to help, but it is blatantly obvious that you are not in command. Fourth, you should consider yourself lucky I only slapped you." Drew snapped. He grabbed the unconscious Spartan and started to move towards the ship. Back with Team RWBY, all four were shocked, but none were as shocked as Weiss. Her aura had healed any damage done by the slap, but the sting from the hit was still there.

"Uhh, can we get moving?" Blake asked quietly. Yang and Ruby nodded.

"Come on Weiss, let's go." Ruby said to her partner and helping her move slowly.

"I've never been hit like that." Weiss whispered out. "Ever"

"Let's agree to not piss these guys off. Professor Arc may have a controlled temper but I think these guys don't." Yang said.

" **Agreed**." They all said.

 **And that's it for this chapter. Please tell me what you guys thought.**

 _ **I guess I'm not just an editor now. Oh well, you'll be hearing a lot from me soon. - D-07**_


	9. Slight Panic and Council

Hey guys, so it's this story's turn or some shit like that.

Guest 1: You don't have to stay around.

Guest 2: Yeah I know, I caught that a few days before you posted that.

Husebad: Right now, the events of Halo Combat Evolved would be happening.

"Character Dialogue"

'Character Thoughts'

" _Scroll Dialogue"_

' _Character Thoughts' (twice cuz y not)_

Overlooking a cliff, a beowolf roars out in rage and hate after something large crashed into the island, now the pesky humans and even some of the other half human half animals had gathered around the crash site and killed everything around it. However, something was moving behind it, it could hear it. Turning, it was met with a hail of buckshot in its face.

"Come on dude, I totally had it." Someone said the last thing it heard before dying. Back with the Spartans and Team RWBY, they were walking through the woods when they encountered the lone beowolf.

"Well Drew, if you wanted it, you should've acted faster." Preston replied.

"Are you slowing down Drew?" Dakota joked.

"Screw you guys." Drew said. The three were using their internal comms system to speak, making everything they were saying inaudible to team RWBY.

"Uhh, are we missing something?" Ruby, the youngest and leader of the group asked.

"Just Drew bitching." Preston said.

Ruby's ears were quickly plugged by Yang. "Watch your language!" The yellow boxer said. Preston just shrugged his shoulders.

"Whatever." He said. Yang was about to go forward when she was stopped by Blake.

"Just, let it go Yang. I've been hearing everything they're saying." She said, calming the older sister.

Walking forward some more, the group arrived at the cliff the beowolf was at, overlooking the crash site.

"Look at it, the Eagles Talon, our home away from home." Drew said.

"And the necessary medical supplies for Delta Zero Fourteen." Alex said.

"That too. Come on, let's get going." Drew said, sliding down the slope onto the ground. Behind the Spartans, Team RWBY landing behind them.

"Alright team, let's get going." Ruby said.

"Well, let's not lag behind." Drew said, going forward with the rest of the team very close behind him. However, their motion sensors start going off. "Hold position." Drew said, causing everything to stop moving.

"What's wrong?" Weiss asked, still somewhat agitated from earlier.

"Motion sensors going off, something or someone is ahead of us." Drew answered. The four ladies geared for a fight.

"Permission to recon." Preston asked.

"Permission granted. Everyone else, hunker down." Drew said as the spartan pushes forward. Just as he peeks his head through the foliage, he feels a magnum press against his helmet.

"Identify yourself." The voice said.

"Spartan, Delta Zero Twenty Nine." Preston said, knowing the pistol was inside his shield.

"I don't recognize that identification." He said. "And I don't recognize that weapon either."

"Standard M45 Tactical Shotgun with suppressor modification. Who are you?" Preston asked.

"Spartan, Sierra Zero Three Four. You're not Delta Zero Seven, where's the rest of your team?" He asked.

"Behind me. You're the one who responded to our distress call." Preston said.

"Yes, I did. Now, where's the rest of your unit?" He asked again.

"Professor!" Both heard Ruby yell out. Looking over, Jaune could see Team RWBY with three other Spartans.

"Sir, Delta Zero Seven reporting." Preston heard Drew said, then feels the magnum leave the side of his head.

"This your unit?" He asked.

"Yes sir, we have a spartan casually." Drew said, pointing towards the spartan holding another spartan.

"So you do. Ruby, I'll take over, report to Stummer." He said, causing the four students to leave the area. "Now then, who are you?"

"I'm Drew Zero Seven. That one you had a magnum to the head is Preston Zero Twenty Nine. Our injured is Layne Zero Fourteen and the one holding her is Dakota Zero Eight." Drew said.

"Arc Zero Thirty Four. You can call me Jaune. Follow me." He said, holstering his magnum. Indicating for the three Spartans to follow him. Entering a clearing they could see dozens of people moving about, clearing fallen trees and watching their perimeter with the occasional weapons fire breaking the silence.

"Professor, are these our survivors?" A woman with fox ears asked.

"Yes they are. We're going inside." He said.

"Understood. How do you plan on getting in?" She asked.

"There's an access point on the side of the ship, an airlock." Drew said, stepping forward.

"There you have it Stummer. Just hold the area around the ship." Jaune said. A few minutes later, the five had entered the airlock. Once the doors close, Jaune speaks up. "Alright, do you have an AI with you?"

"Adler reporting sir." an AI responded.

"Good, take everything out of the ship then wipe the system of everything. I'm enacting the Cole Protocol, along with burning all cyber files." Jaune said.

"Copy that sir." Drew said.

"Dakota, take Layne to medical. Preston, you're with me." Jaune said. Then the door opens allowing the five to split up. In the armory, Jaune observed the weapons. "Answer me a question: what's the current year?"

"2552. Why?" Preston asked.

"Need a gauge. Now, how's the year going?" Jaune asked.

"We lost Reach." Preston said. Nothing more needed to said.

"Now, I don't recognize you from the spartan program, so that begs the question, what part of the program are you and when did you become active?" Jaune asked again while picking up a DMR without a scope.

"Colonel Ackerson created the Spartan-III program around 2531. I don't have much to tell about the program outside of my company. My company, Delta, was the fourth company of Spartan-IIIs to be deployed, if you could call us that." Preston said.

"And was that?" Jaune asked, putting down the DMR he had and picked up a grenade launcher.

"There are supposed to be fifty Spartans, but the fall of Reach happened. There was only twelve of us that received our augments and armor." Preston said

"What happened to the rest?" Jaune asked.

"The other eight active we lost contact with when we left Reach, the rest were killed in orbit. They were onboard an ONI station about to get their augments." Preston explained.

"I see. And what were your last orders?" Jaune asked one last time.

"Our orders were to find out what happened to the Spartan Fireteam Noble." Preston said.

"Alright, let's get to the bridge." Jaune said.

"I have some questions too sir." Preston said.

"I'll answer everyone's questions all at once. It'll be easier." Jaune said with Preston following close behind him.

In the bridge, Drew was standing at a holo table with his helmet on the table. Also, there was a hologram of a spartan. "Spartan. Who are you?" Jaune asked the hologram taking note that Preston had taken off his helmet, noticing Drew's blue eyes and Preston's brown eyes.

"AI Adler sir, this is my selected avatar." Adler said.

"Alright. Are the system's wiped?" Jaune asked.

"Ja. The system is clean." Adler said.

"Good. And Layne's status?" Jaune asked.

"Armor's removed and she's in medical." Drew answered.

"Alright, I'm sure you all have questions, ask away." Jaune said.

"Where are we?" ,

"Planet Remnant, from what I understand, it's outside of both UNSC and Covenant space. We are on our own out here." Jaune answered.

"Alright, what were those things we killed?" Preston asked. Then Dakota walked in, with his helmet on his waist.

"They're called creatures of grimm, they only exist to kill humanity on this world and another species on this planet, the faunus. They're the people you saw with animal parts, like the woman with fox ears." Jaune explained.

"I was wondering about that." Preston said quietly to himself.

"Ok, what about all these different weapons and shit we've been seeing?" Drew asked.

"They're all unique to every person here. To put it shortly, you have landed in the territory of one of the kingdoms called Arcadia. The other four are Vale, Atlas, Vacuo, and Mistral. Then there's also the major faunus population of Menagerie. Each kingdom has a combat academy each training groups of people called huntsmen and huntresses. They are the main force used to fight the creatures of grimm." Jaune said.

"That seems harsh, do they have any advantages?" Preston asked. Jaune answered by flashing his aura on his arm.

"This is aura, a biological energy shield type force. This is the advantage the people here have. Now, this next part is gonna sound weird, so bare with me. According to the people here, aura powered by your very soul, seeing how it's very manifestation." Jaune said everyone was shocked.

"That sounds like some bullshit." Preston said.

"I know it does, but that's not all. Everyone also has something called a semblance which is reflective of that person's personality. Ruby's, for example, is super speed while leaving a trail of rose petals behind her." Jaune explained.

"Ok, well, do we have it?" Dakota asked.

"That's the thing, I don't know. You're not native's of this planet, you may not have an aura." Jaune said. The other three looked down in surprise and some disappointment.

"Ok, well are there Covenant here?" Drew asked.

"You bet your ass there isn't. I've been here for about four months, there's no way in hell there's any here." Jaune said.

"Ok, that's some good news at least. So what's the plan?" Drew asked.

"I'm gonna have a person named Ozpin employ you at one of the academy's on this planet as additional security. It's also the same one I currently work at as an instructor. Our cover is as follows, this ship is only an Arcadian prototype and we are mercenaries hailing from the area around Mistral. Any further questions?" Jaune asked.

"What about our armor?" Preston asked.

"Assuming there's equipment to take off your armor, you'll take with you to Beacon, the academy. And before you ask, my armor is currently there." Jaune said.

"Alright, what about Layne?" ,

"Well, what injured her?" Jaune asked. "Giant feather." Preston said instantly, along with a hologram of Layne. The hologram shows that the feather had damaged the upper layers of her skin and muscle, but also damaged her GI track at several places around her liver. The system tells him that nanites are repairing any damage and removing biofoam.

"Nevermore. She should be fine in a few hours. If your system says it's using nanites." Jaune said. "Now then what're your specialties?"

"I'm the head of this team, but also our stealth expert. Layne is multi-situational and our explosives expert thought she can fill most roles on demand. Preston is our CQC and objective defense expert and breacher. Dakota is our sniper and scout when he's not carrying Layne that is." Drew said.

"Perfect. Now then, Preston told Reach has fallen, is this true?" Jaune asked.

"Yes sir, Reach is gone. The last thing we saw was the UNSC Pillar of Autumn fleeing the system with the Master Chief on board." Drew said.

"John's still kicking huh? Regardless, what was your last mission directive?" Jaune asked.

"Our mission was to find the last members of Noble team: Justin B Three One Two and Jun A Two Six Six. The other four members were confirmed KIA." Drew said.

"Ignoring the fact that ONI says Spartans don't die, they just go MIA, who were they?" Jaune asked.

"Commander Carter A Two Five Nine led the team with the other members being Catherine B Three Two Zero, Emile A Two Three Nine, and Jorge Zero Five Two. Also sir, I'd figured you'd want this." Drew said, handing Jaune a pair of dog tags. Looking at the tags, they read Jorge-052.

"I see, thank you for bringing this to me." Jaune said, burying his grief for the time being. "What about the last two members of Noble?"

"We found what was left of Justin. However, Jun was last seen with Doctor Halsey at Castle Base." Drew said.

"And if Castle Base hasn't changed since I last saw it, it's gonna be a bitch to take down." Jaune said with some confidence. "Alright, I think we have our bases covered, any more questions?"

"Our plan for our weapons?" Preston asked.

"Simple, we take plenty with us. Lot's of spare ammo and parts. I'll arrange the transport." Jaune replied. "anymore?" No one raised their hand. "Alright, Drew, you and your team will remain on board and prep any pelicans that you have. I'll head out and explain the ship to the Arcadian Royal Family and Council, they'll be told about the plan." Jaune said, then walking out.

"Wait, how do you plan on getting close to them?" Drew asked.

"It certainly helps that I'm part of the royal family." Jaune said before the door closes leaving the others dumbstruck.

"Uhh, not to make you guys panic, but the reactors are starting to go into the red." Adler says, getting the remaining Spartans to move into action.

Meanwhile, outside the ship, Jaune had regrouped with Stummer around the entrance he used.

"So, how was it?" She asked.

"We have a cover up plan ready to go. For now, this ship doesn't exist, but if it is found, it is a prototype being used by the Arcadian Military." Jaune said.

"How will this be told to the public?" She asked.

"I will give the plan to my mom, she'll now how to tell people." Jaune said.

"What about everyone here?" She asked, indicating to everyone holding the perimeter.

"They will believe it hopefully. They have no idea what this ship is." Jaune replied. She seemed the accept the answer, but was still unsure.

"What about moving it?" Jaune stopped to think for a moment.

"Hopefully it's thrusters is still working, so we either get it to a military base or even better, orbit." Jaune replied. Stummer's eyes widen to dinner plate sizes.

"It can go into orbit?" She asked quietly.

"Yes, it can. However it's thruster cannot be damaged in any way, which I think they are." Jaune said.

"What makes you think that?" Stummer asked.

"I might be wrong on that. It wouldn't be the first time. They may be perfectly intact, but overheated." Jaune said.

" _Sir, we have a problem_." Drew says over their shared radio

"What's the problem?" Jaune asked.

" _The reactors gone into the red zone, we have to shut it down._ " He replies.

"Understood, keep that ship from exploding." Jaune said.

" _In order to do that I will need a small team to keep the others at a safe distance. Normally my team would suffice, but we're down a man and any extra help would be nice_." Drew indicated to Jaune.

"Consider it done. Don't take any chances though." Jaune relayed back.

" _Only a spartan will be able to enter the reactor given our protective armor. Considering you don't have your own at hand I need you to be part of the security force. Me and Dakota can handle it, but Preston can't keep everyone out. Get anyone else who can help. Delta Zero Seven out!_ " Drew explained before cutting off all unnecessary communication.

Several minutes later in the main reactor core, Drew and Dakota makes their way to the gauges on the wall in the control room. Also unseen to them, Adler was also moving through the systems.

"We have roughly six minutes to get this done." Adler told them, appearing on a computer terminal.

"Great! Love time restraints." Drew said snarkily.

"Just tell us what needs to get done." Dakota said, shifting the focus back on the task at hand.

"Well for starters, a normal shut down won't work in its current state. One of you will need to directly access the reactor and cool one of the rods manually. Your armor should provide enough protection from the radiation but you may lose your shielding for a while." Adler informed the two Spartans.

"I'll go." Drew said already making his way to the maintenance hatch opposite of the gauges.

"Good luck. Now, what do I need to do?" Dakota asked.

"You need to start the auto cool down of the other three rods in order to keep Drew from getting literally roasted alive. No biggie." Adler stated.

"No pressure whatsoever." Dakota remarked.

Meanwhile, inside the maintenance shaft, Drew was having a difficult time figuring out which route wouldn't kill him.

"God damn it. Adler!" Drew called.

" _Ja?_ " Adler asked.

"Which way?" Drew quickly blurted out.

" _Uhhhh. Links dann rechts._ " Adler said in his original language for the fastest result.

"Danke. Now let's fix this thing before we all explode." Drew muttered.

Finding his way to the rod, he noticed it was dislodged from the rest of the reactor. As he neared, his shields went from 100% to 0. This made him recoil slightly. After gathering himself mentally, he hoisted the rod back into place. The heat was intense and Drew could feel the grime and sweat of the past couple of hours disappear with the heat overtaking his senses.

"Shit. I knew it would be hot but not nearly like this." He complained.

After fixating the rod back into place, he noticed the temperature spike.

'Well that can't be good.' He mentally noted.

"Yeah we have thirty seconds to cool it down or we will all perish in a nuclear winter." Adler bluntly stated.

"How long is the cooling process?" Drew asked.

"About 27.63 seconds. Not including start up. We will be cutting it close. Your call whether to signal and evacuation or not." Adler remarked.

"Time to test our luck." Drew joked, starting to pump coolant into the reactor.

"Cooling underway. How much time is left?" Dakota asked.

Around the ship, sirens started blaring, confusing and worrying people who didn't know what was going on.

"Nuclear meltdown imminent. T minus 5… 4… 3… 2…" The speakers suddenly announced, then stopped

"Reactor is stable. And the light is green." Drew said.

" _How much time was left?_ " Preston asked, reopening comms.

" _You don't wanna know._ " Came Adler's reply.

Meanwhile, Jaune was looking up at the ship with only one thought in his head, 'What the fuck did you idiots do?'

" _This is Delta Zero Seven, do you copy professor?"_ Drew radioed in.

"I hear ya, what the fuck did you do?" Jaune asked, getting the attention of everyone around him.

" _Well, the timing couldn't have been tighter and we successfully secured the reactor. Although, my armor now has scorch marks_." Drew joked.

"Well, at least you stopped it, well done. By the way, you scared the shit out of everyone down here." Jaune said.

" _Just got word Layne is waking up. We'll start gathering supplies for the trip home_." Drew told Jaune.

"Understood. We're starting to collapse the perimeter, local military forces have arrived." Jaune said.

" _That is not what I wanted to hear professor. But we'll make do. Also, we got two fully functioning and fueled birds at our disposal_." Drew informed Jaune.

"Armament?" Jaune asked.

" _Oh fuck yeah. Plus a couple of scorpions if we need to clear an LZ_." Drew commented.

"Understood. I'll work out the details with the Arcadian high command for vehicle and resupply access." Jaune said.

" _Basically, you get the politics_." Dakota said bluntly.

" _Uh, sir. I found something you might want to see for yourself."_ Preston reported.

"On my way." Jaune said, moving back to the ship. However, Stummer stopped him.

"What was that about?" She asked sternly.

"They shut the reactor in time, but I don't know what they did to get that announcement." Jaune said, however, she was not convinced for some reason.

"I don't believe you." She said.

"-Sigh- I don't know what they did. When I go back, I'll figure out what they did. Trust me when I say it, if the reactor would've exploded, we would all be dead." Jaune said, before walking back into the ship.

Inside the upper hangar bay, the five Spartans, unarmored, were gathered around two different pelicans and some crates. "Alright, what did you find?" Jaune asked. Preston simply pointed at one of the crates. On the crates, was a nuclear warning.

"Two Shivas sir." Preston said, opening one of the crates. "The missile components have been removed, but the warheads are intact."

"Also I managed to copy all relevant files and have sent them to your tac-pad." Dakota said.

"Alright, are they disarmed?" Jaune asked, ignoring Dakota's statement.

"Hard to tell for sure. That's more Layne's forte. Mind taking a look?" Preston said, slyly sliding the responsibility onto her.

"Yeah, give the lady the nuke you fucking barbarians." Layne responded. "Cannot ever catch a break. But give me a minute."

"Well, you are our explosives expert." Drew calmly rebutted.

"Yeah, yeah. A good starting point is protocol. All nukes not immediately ready for launch are to be separate from the missile components, like so." She said, indicating to warheads. She then opened the crate to show one of the nukes. "They also aren't allowed to have their fission components with their main explosive components, like so." She said, again indicating to two different pieces of the warhead. She grabbed the fission piece with her hand.

"This is not a critical mass, I'm not a nuclear expert, but the main warhead has a piece of something that I don't what it is, and this thing. The big piece is just under critical mass. The good news, they're both perfectly contained, so no radiation exposure." Layne calmly said, putting the smaller piece back in the crate, then closes it. "So what are we doing with it then?"

"We're taking them with us. I don't trust the local military with these. They're more likely to kill themselves with them." Jaune said.

"So let me get this straight. You want to bring nukes to a populated area that also happens to be a school?" Drew questioned.

"I know how absurd that sounds, but trust me when I say it, there are underground factions that love these nukes. They wipe anything off the map and no one figured out what the fuck it was. Best case scenario: we keep them from getting both pieces. If you see anyone you don't recognize by or with these, you are to shoot to kill understand?" Jaune asked. All nodded. "Good, now then, what was that announcement about the reactor overload?"

"I blame Drew." Dakota said instantly.

"Like usual. The reactor was starting to overheat when I started to add coolant." Drew explained, ignoring Dakota's remark.

"I'll take your word for it. Now then, finish loading up and take off your armor. The fewer that know about it, the better." Jaune before walking out.

Outside, the military has taken over the perimeter defense and one of them approached him.

"Are you professor Arc?" He asked.

"I am." Jaune replied.

"I'm here to take over for you and your students." He said. Above them, the two pelicans take off from the top of the ship.

"Alright, I'll take my students and leave the defense then." Jaune said, going over to the gathering of his students. "Alright, let's head back." He said before going into a landed bullhead. Inside his head, he was thinking about the wisdom of bringing nukes to Beacon.

"Professor, are you alright?" Pyrrha, seeing his uncertainty, also clearly not the only one to see, but the first to voice it.

"Yes Mrs. Nikos, I'm alright." Jaune said, reassuring his students. Looking up, he sees the two pelicans high in the clouds, flying away from the crash with their deadly cargo. 'I hope I made the right choice'

Several hours later, Jaune was in front of the Arcadian Council, seeing a few familiar faces such as his parents, grandparents and the headmistress of Fury.

"So what was that thing Jaune?" His father asked.

"UNSC Eagles Talon, Paris Heavy Frigate Commissioned on May 2 of 2537" Jaune replied.

"What else can you tell us about it?" His grandfather and King of Arcadia asked.

"From the files I received from the ship itself, it has 80 Archer Missile Pods with each pod having 30 launchers each. Along with the missile systems are 36 M910 Point-Defense guns and it's main weapon being a Mark II MAC cannon." Jaune said.

"MAC cannon?" His mother asked.

"Magnetic Accelerator Cannon. A large coilgun that fire a 600 ton ferric-tungsten projectile with a depleted uranium core at 30 kilometers per second. The single most powerful non nuclear weapon in our arsenal." Jaune replied, seeing the various looks of surprise, curiosity, and fear in the council's eyes.

"When you returned to my academy, you looked upset, why?" Sages asked.

"On board, the frigate was two Shiva Class Nuclear Weapons. I was wishing to keep that tech off of Remnant." Jaune said.

"How powerful are these weapons Jaune?" His grandfather asked.

"Put in the exact center of Arcadia, it would very likely remove the entire city from the map." Jaune said.

"And there are two of these weapons here?! Where are they?" One of the councilmen asked.

"I handed them over to a group of Spartan IIIs that arrived with the frigate." Jaune said.

"And where are they now?" His father asked.

"I don't know. They're not gonna go out and start a holocaust if that's what you're wondering. Oh wait, you don't know what that is, do you?" Jaune said, trying to reassure the council. However, several people were surprised and confused.

"More Spartans like yourself?" Another councilwoman asked.

"More or less, yes." Jaune said.

"Can they be trusted?" His grandfather asked.

"I would bet my life on it." Jaune said instantly.

"I see. I do have another question, what happened to the data on the ship? Everything on board was wiped when we got on board." His father asked.

"UNSC protocol dictates that all shipboard intel is to be wiped in the event of capture by either an enemy or unknown faction to prevent any sensitive intel from leaving UNSC hands." Jaune said, lying through his teeth.

"And you consider us an unknown faction Jaune?" His mother asked.

"To the other Spartans, yes. They carried out the order before the crash." Jaune said, lying again.

"Before? You said all four were with you when you landed." Stummer said.

"There's a UNSC AI on board during that time, he deleted all files on board before we arrived." Jaune stated.

"I see. And I assume this AI is with these other Spartans as well?" Stummer asked.

"Correct. UNSC AIs are not like Atlassian AIs, they have a physical body, only one that exists in computer programs." Jaune said.

"Is it sentient?" Sages asked.

"He is to all reasoning, is. He is technically aware of everything that is happening around him." Jaune said. Suddenly, Jaune hears his scroll go off. "Excuse me for a minute." He said, leaving the room.

"Hello?" Jaune said.

" _Jaune, it's Drew, we're closing on Beacon. There are airships up here_." Drew said.

"Understood, maintain distance from the fleet. I recommend you land at my location." Jaune said, then a thought came into his head. "How did you figure out where Beacon is?"

" _Adler_." Drew said.

"Oh, yeah. That'll do it." Jaune said before hanging up. Walking back in, Jaune could see the council was dismissed. "Did I miss something?" He asked his mother.

"No, you answered most of our questions, and confirmed to your grandparents you're alive." His mother said.

"I see. As much as I would like to stay around, I need to see to my students." Jaune said before his mother hugged him.

"Stay safe." She said before leaving with his father.

Several hours later, Jaune was outside of Fury, looking out over the forest. Above him, the military was moving more personnel towards the crash behind him. Then the familiar sound of a pelican's engines flew overhead and towards the main landing zone. Quickly moving over towards the landing zone, both of the pelicans were taking up some of the space there. One of the pelicans had their cargo doors open, allowing a full view into the cargo/crew compartment of the aircraft. Looking inside, Jaune couldn't see the containers with the two Shivas. Continuing forward, Jaune could see Sages and Drew talking about something.

"Professor, Drew. How are you two doing?" Jaune asked while boarding the pelican while getting their attention

"Trying not to be evicted." Drew said bluntly.

"Any problems?" Jaune asked Sages.

"I'm more upset that they landed unannounced." Sages said. "However, Stummer showed me images of these aircraft leaving the ship, so I'll allow it. But I like more permanent solutions to them."

"Don't worry professor, they'll be leaving with me back to Beacon. However, they'll be staying with me for the duration of my stay here. If that's not a problem." Jaune said.

"I have no problem as long as they stay out of trouble." Sages said.

'Keep Preston out of trouble basically.' Drew thought.

"Can you and your team follow that simple instruction?" Jaune asked Drew

"You're joking, right? Yes, sir." Drew replied. 'I hope.' He thought.

"I'm not joking spartan, keep your team out of trouble. Dismissed." Jaune said, causing Drew to salute him before going into the pelican's cockpit.

"Do you really outrank him?" Sages asked. Jaune simply shrugged his shoulders.

"I have no idea. Last time I checked, I'm a Petty Officer First Class." Jaune said.

"Jaune you are familiar with sarcasm correct? Loosen up a little." Drew said from his seat in the cockpit. "Now sit back and enjoy the flight."

"What flight?" Jaune asked. They then feel the pelican life off the ground a good meter. On the inside, Jaune holding onto some of the overhead handlebars while Sages held onto him. A few short seconds later, the pelican set back down.

"Please don't do that again." Sages said, still somewhat freaked out. Whilst Drew was laughing his ass off.

"Please tell me this won't be a trend." Jaune said.

"No promises." Drew said cheekily.

'Goddamn it Drew' Jaune thought.

"Also I just checked, I do outrank you." Drew said

Jaune immediately started laughing. "What's your rank?" He asked, expecting Drew's rank to be barely above his own.

"Lieutenant." Drew said, causing Jaune to laugh harder.

"They must've made training hella easy for your IIIs!" Jaune said after catching his breath.

"Mendez was not soft if that's what you're getting at." Drew said.

"Not at all. They day he grows soft is the day he dies." Jaune said. Sages, however, was confused.

"Who's Mendez?" She asked, feeling left out.

"He was the Spartan II, and apparently, III chief combat instructor." Jaune said.

"Kurt Ambrose was really the one in charge. Or, Jaune, you probably just know him as Kurt." Drew revealed.

"Ok, I can get behind that. He was and probably still is a great leader. If he was training, well, my confidence in you four just went up." Jaune said.

Drew stiffened slightly. "Uh sir, both are MIA. Unfortunately, we both know what that means." Drew said relaying the sad news.

Jaune looked down at the floor in thought. "I know what that means. I had the feeling when it was confirmed that Reach fell. I imagine that just about every spartan was there for that fight." Jaune said.

"Most were. Spartan Black team was not present. Nor was Kurt." Drew said, not surprising Jaune.

"That doesn't surprise, their whole specialty was fighting behind enemy lines, and what do you mean Kurt wasn't on Reach?" Jaune asked.

"I have a lot to explain to you in private. Right now we shouldn't waste any more of our host's time and hospitality." Drew said for once being courteous.

"Agreed. Can you and your team stay in the pelicans tonight?" Jaune asked.

"Not a problem. Better than a drop pod any day." Drew said returning to the crew bay.

"That I won't argue with." Jaune said, leaving the pelican with Sages right behind him.

"I'm still finding one thing strange, he outranks you, but treats you like a superior." Sages said.

"Understandable. It's likely that it's because I have more combat experience than him. Mendez drilled into our heads that experience outranks everything else. Kurt would've likely reinforced that." Jaune answered.

"I see." Sages said, looking up at the moon. "I would say it's about ten, we should both be thinking retiring for the night."

"I agree completely. Good night professor." Jaune said.

"Good night your majesty." Sages said, leaving Jaune momentarily confused.

"Wait why did she, oh that's why.' Jaune thought to himself, reminding himself he's a prince here, not just a simple soldier anymore. 'Man, miss simple shit.'

Alright, that's the end, and I was generous. Anything you wanna add Drew?

Only that I did have to remotivate you at times.

Oh shut up, I've gotten to it.

Well as long as everyone is liking the story I couldn't care less.

Typische.

Surrrrrreee. Hündin.

At least I'm not a cat person.

I own a fish. He may or may not be dead.

Blake had nothing to do with it.

Shhhhhh, she might hear you. Cat ears and everything.

"Did I hear my name?"

Go away Blake! No one said your name!

Just end it pleeeeeeaaaaaassssseeeeee.

Fine.

Guten Nacht!


	10. Update Time!

So, this a bit overdue in my humble opinion. So, where I've been? I've been elsewhere, Steam and Xbox One.

So some, news.

One: Happy Murica DAY!

Two: I will ceasing all work on Team Bandit for the foreseeable future, I have lost all interest writing that specific story.

Three: Starting tomorrow, I will be going through all my OCs and places I made and adding details to them out of the story, this will include, the Arc family and Arcadia from Altered Destiny, and Pilot Hev from Turian/Militia War.

Four: I will be going through the soon-to-be plot for Turian/Militia War, specifically, the part of how humanity as a whole will react to some, less than friendly alien neighbors. If there's anything else you think, OH! I also have codex entries for some of the human starships as well that will be coming with the next chapter. Or I can put it up tomorrow if want.

Five: While I was having some computer problems, the July Windows update that made me reset my laptop, I made a bunch of one-shots about our, my, favorite character, Jaune. If you want to see them, ask me.

Alright, if you guys missed anything, let me know. Also! I have an iFunny account if you wanna look at it. Be Warned though, there will be plenty of offensive humor that I find funny, it's teamaster3, enter if you dare. Anything you want to add Drew?

 **First I have been trying to help you in fixing up your laptop. I want that noted. Also as of Merica day, I have finally returned from vacation. Florida in the summer sucks. Regardless it'll be fun to get back to editing/typing. Team Bandit will be missed for now. Anyway, catch you guys back on Remnant!**

Well, you didn't do a very good job of it.

 **At least I tried.**

A little bit.


	11. Homecoming

**Hey guys, so it' here! The next chapter! Also, side note, while writing this I was reading my previous chapter and nearly shit myself, I thought this, and the last wasn't gonna line up correctly.**

 **priceless22: Ehh, they could be more emotional, I'm trying to paint them in a, not robotic tone. Sure it follows perfectly, but it's not very interesting to write.**

 **Guest 1: Again, I think it's just mostly their way dealing with combat for so long, and trust me, the Spartans are gonna earn their title when that comes around. And thank you for the kind words.**

 **Guest 2: Nah.**

"So let me get this straight, you guys are feeling off? Explain?" Jaune asked Drew with the other members of Delta being around. Preston and Layne were sitting on a bench with Dakota on his newly acquired scroll, feeling off again, he groans. Since the Eagle's Talon sudden crash landing, a full day had passed. Since then, the Spartan IIIs were getting used to the island and the planet, and they've been feeling, off.

"Yeah, Alder's trying to figure it out," Drew explained. The Spartan IIIs had their armor removed, thanks to Arcadian engineers removing and transporting an armor rack for the Spartans, allowing them to remove their armor.

Sighing, Jaune looks back at the Spartans, "Very well, keep me posted." As he finished talking, someone else comes in. Noticing the uniform he was wearing, he was someone important. "Can I help you?"

"Crown Prince Jaune Arc?" He asked.

"Yes," Jaune answered.

"His Majesty, Vladimir Arc, requests you head to the Royal Palace immediately." He says, handing him a message as well. "The letter contains information not suited for verbal communication, good day." He says with a bow and leaves him.

"So, a Crown Prince huh? You never told us that." Preston said.

"You never asked," Jaune replied. Opening, the letter, he sees a word that really didn't want to see: heritage. He instantly knew why he was being called. "God. Dammit." He said out loud.

"Anything we need to be concerned with sir?" Preston asked.

"No, this is family business. You all are dismissed." Jaune said before leaving. In the halls, he comes across Jean and Pyrrha, with plenty of fans behind them. Jean immediately catches onto that something is wrong with her twin.

"Everything alright Jaune?" She asked.

"Yeah, grandfather just called me to the palace," Jaune said, showing the letter, but not the contents.

"He called me back too. I'm worried." Jean said, starting to chew on a nail.

"I'm not so much worried but more…." He paused for a second, "upset… I wanted to deal with this after the semester ends." Jaune said, sighing in disappointment. Jean gave him a knowing look.

"You're worried she's gonna be there, aren't you?" She teased.

Jaune instantly caught the tone, "I'm counting on her being there Jean. I'm hoping that what she felt has at least has gone down, if only a little." Jaune said. Seeing Pyrrha feeling left out, he turned to her. "And how is your stay in Fury Ms. Nikos?"

"A little colder than what I'm used to," Pyrrha said, happy to distract herself from the fans behind her. Jaune noticed that she had some extras pieces of clothing on her. A thin, elbow length shirt that followed her color scheme along with matching pants that went down to her ankles. On top of all of it was her standard armor.

"Eh, you get used to it. If you really think it's cold, don't stick for the winter." Jaune said, with a light laugh, causing both Jean and Pyrrha to laugh with him.

"Grandpa is gonna want to speak with you, and grandma too," Jean said, getting serious.

" Yeah I know," Jaune said, stopping for a moment, "Where did the Messenger go, I would like him to relay a message to grandfather." Jaune asked.

"I am right here young master." Said man stated, startling everyone there.

"Well, at least you didn't go anywhere, but let's do this somewhere more private." Jaune said.

"Agreed your highness." He agreed. A few minutes later, the two entered Jaune's office.

"What message would like sent to your grandfather?" He asked, taking out a pad and pen.

"Grandfather, I politely ask that meeting in question can wait until the end of the semester, I have teaching responsibilities both here and at Beacon Academy in Vale. In three days time, I will be returning to Beacon immediately. However, do not mistake this as ignoring the topic you wish to speak me about. I had full intentions to return home after the semester has ended to discuss these albeit small, but not insignificant details then. Please respond as soon as you are able. Until then, your grandson Jaune." Jaune said, bringing in some air into his lungs.

"Is that all?" He asked, internally he knew the answer, but it doesn't hurt to ask.

"Yes. That will be all. Thank you." Jaune said, grabbing his scroll. Looking up, he sees the man leave the room, likely to relay the message.

Meanwhile, in another room, the Spartans armor and armor rack was in an unused room. Also in there was a holo-table that was taken off the Eagle's Talon. Jaune had told the engineers that the holo-table, while not necessary, was useful in fine tuning the systems armor racks, making it easier to put on and take off the Mjolnir armor. However, it served a second purpose; a place for Alder to remain and go over any all information that he got from the Eagle's Talon. While reviewing the sensor scans that the Eagle's Talon took while forcefully landing. While going through, he noticed something.

"Hmm, that's not good." Alder 'said'. What he was looking at was an unusual energy coming from the middle of Sanus, the continent with both Vale and Vacuo. There were many things this energy could be, but for now, it was an anomaly. "Commander Arc must be notified." He 'said' before disappearing.

Meanwhile, Jaune had gone up to see Sages after the messenger left to talk to her about events on the mainland. That was until his scroll went off. Looking down, he sees Alder's avatar. "Excuse me for a moment ma'am," Jaune said, before answering.

"Go ahead Alder." Jaune said.

"Sir, there was an strange energy signature n the center of Sanus. I suggest we investigate as soon as we arrive at Vale." Alder said.

"What kind of energy?" Jaune asked.

"Unknown sir. The only thing I have is a very short snapshot of it, and even then it's sketchy. The mountains blocked most of the energy but the source was large enough to be picked up by the Eagle's Talon. I suggest sending Team Delta to investigate immediately upon our return to Vale. Giving their experience in diving behind lines to gather intel." Alder said, laying down what he knew about the anomaly.

"Understood, update Drew and have him brief me if something comes up," Jaune said before hanging up. Turning back to Sages, she looks at him puzzled.

"What was that about?" She asked.

"Alder found something deep in Sanus. We'll figure out what to do with it later." Jaune said, putting it aside. However, they were interrupted by the man that Jaune had sent a message through earlier.

"Sir, you grandfather says this cannot wait. You must return immediately." He says. Jaune simply sighs.

"I figured as much. I assume Jean will be going with us?" Jaune asked.

"Yes, young master. Please pack immediately." The messenger says before leaving.

"You want me to tell Stummer that you're leaving?" Sages asked.

"Yes, please. I should be back either today or tomorrow." Jaune said, walking out of the office. Outside the office, Jaune sees Jean along with the rest of her team.

"So, what are we doing Jaune?" Jean asked apprehensively.

"We're leaving for the palace. Be ready to be gone for a day." Jaune said, before looking for Delta. After finding them in another room, he speaks up. "Drew. I'm leaving for the palace. Keep me informed on dealings here." He said before leaving them.

Several hours of packing later, Jaune arrived at the landing pads. On his back was his DMR with a holstering strap with his magnum on his side. He also had a suitcase full of clothes and accessories including ammo. Next to him, Jean was looking apprehensive for the trip.

"Are you two ready?" The pilot says.

"Yeah, we're ready. Let's go home." Jaune says as the three of them, him, Jean, and the messenger enters the back.

"Settle in, it's gonna be a two-hour flight." The pilot says as the airship takes off. The airship itself looks like flying wing design similar to a longsword fighter with the back end of something similar to a bullhead.

Two hours later, the airship arrived at Arcadia. The city itself is similar in shape to Istanbul, where it's covered on three sides by water with heavy defenses on the land side. The peninsula goes out to sea about 50 or so miles and only being about a mile at its widest. On an outcropping of the main island, the Arcadian Palace shows itself. The palace itself reminds Jaune of the Buckingham Palace in London but with a more French design rather than Norman (A/N Someone correct me if that's wrong). On the west side of the palace was the landing pads for airships while on the east was the royal gardens. Looking out to the sea, Jaune could see several surface ships patrolling the waters, not that they're needed though, the water is too shallow for aquatic grimm but deep enough for light traffic.

Several minutes later, Jaune feels the airship set down. Jean was the first to get out, Jaune had brought more things than her, plus he didn't want to be the first out.

"I don't care, Jean, I'm going in there to see him!" Someone yelled outside. He instantly recognized who it was.

"Better not keep them waiting." Jaune thought out loud. Getting out of the airship, he was greeted by several royal guards, his mother, and grandmother. Stepping out, he hears his grandmother visibly gasp and several of the guardsmen drop their jaws in shock.

"I'm thankful to see you finally showed them you're still alive, at least, in person." His mother said.

"I can tell," Jaune said before his grandmother grabs him by the face.

"When Jean told us that you were alive, no one believed her." His grandmother said, staring him the eyes. Jaune was a solid 6'5'' while his grandmother was 5'5'', he had to bend his knees to be eye level with her.

"I figured that by now," Jaune said before she hugged him.

"Welcome home." She said before they went inside. Inside, several of the staff dropped their things in shock at seeing him alive.

"Jesus, is Jean telling everyone that I'm alive such a surprise?" Jaune asked.

"Jean and your younger siblings always told us they saw you, especially after you disappeared. Everyone simply thought it was a case of the boy who cried wolf." His mother explained. "Do you know just how much your kidnapping hurt us?"

"I didn't have time to sit down and think about it. Most of my time was training." Jaune said.

"To be a Spartan?" His mother asked.

"To be a Spartan." He confirmed. After walking some more, they stopped at a place he instantly recognized, his bedroom. Reaching for the doorknob, he stopped, remembering the many things he did and learned in this room, all of the old memories. Opening it, he sees it's exactly like he left it, though with clean sheets with the Arc family in the middle. Setting his suitcase down on the bed, he looks over on the desk he had. On it was a picture of him and all his siblings. Behind them were his parents and grandparents, back when his parents were still active hunters, assuming that their still active. Holding the picture caused a whole lot of pain to come back to him.

"You alright?" His mother asked from behind him. She could see him holding the picture.

"Yeah, just a whole lot of pain just came back," Jaune said, setting the picture in place.

"Your grandfather's wants to see you, now." She said. A maid comes with a suit in tow. "I'm sure he doesn't want to see in, that." His mother says, indicating to his body suit.

"What's wrong with it?" Jaune asked jokingly while the maid set the suit down on the bed. After giving Jaune a disappointing look, both she and the maid left the room.

Outside the room, Marietta was waiting for Jaune to be finished when an old face showed. "Mason! How are you?" She asked.

"Very well Marietta. But I need to ask you something, is it true he's alive?" Mason asked. Mason was Arc family friend and now guardsman.

"Yes, he's inside his room changing right now." She confirmed pointing at the closed door.

"Oh boy, Isabel's gonna have a field day with this," Mason said, feeling sorry for the young prince, causing his mother to laugh. A few moments later, Jaune walks out with his suit, messing with the tie.

"I now remember why I hate suits," Jaune said offhandedly. He stops when his mother fixes the tie.

"You forgot how to fix your own tie?" She asked.

"Yeah," Jaune said simply, he then noticed Mason. "Umm, I forgot your name."

"Mason Blackmare." Mason said, causing Jaune to go a little pale.

"Shit." Jaune said simply, completely ignoring his mother's scolding for cursing. Mason was now laughing at Jaune for the dread he was likely feeling.

"Come now, your grandfather's waiting." His mother said.

Before Jaune left, he turned to Mason, "Please tell me she's not here." He pleaded.

"She is." Mason said, barely containing his laughter.

"Fuuuuuuck." Jaune said, not caring about his mother being right next to him. Several minutes of walking later, they arrived a common room. In the room was Bianca, his father, and grandparents.

"And then he returns!" Bianca says, causing everyone to look at him.

"Thanks for making me the center of attention Bee," Jaune says.

"I thought you would've liked that though." She teased with a grin. Jaune noticed she had changed into a white, long-sleeved shirt with a red tie and white pants. He sees his grandfather's suit hasn't changed in the slightest (A/N: I imagined Arcann's uniform from SWTOR. I would describe it, but I'm shit and I can't). His father had a black overcoat over the suit with a yellow tie and white undershirt and pants.

"No, I really don't actually," Jaune said back.

"Well, you should get used to it." His father said.

"Probably." Jaune shrugged.

"Sorry we had to pull you away from your duties, but this couldn't wait." Bianca said.

"Oh really? Even though I was gonna come here to deal with this at the end of the semester." Jaune said, crossing his arms.

"But I'm being insistent." His grandfather says.

Jaune simply breathes out of his nose, "Right, let's get this done, I don't like the idea of discussing this." Jaune said.

"But it's necessary." His father says.

"Necessary my ass," Jaune says quietly but loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Enough Jaune, this is something that needs to be addressed, if at some point." Vladimir says.

Jaune simply sighs, again. "Well I'm here, so let's get this over with." He says.

"This your who your spouse is going to be Jaune. Have you even thought about it?" His mother asked.

"Honest answer, no. I haven't given to the subject period. Too many other things to distract myself with." Jaune said.

"Yet you knew this was something that was gonna need to be brought up?" His grandmother asked.

"Before the semester kicked into high gear, I knew this was a thing I would have to deal with," Jaune said.

"But surely you must an eye for someone." His mother asked.

Jaune shook his head, "No. I don't have an eye for anyone right now. Maybe when things calm down perhaps." Jaune said. However, a very energetic person joined in.

"JAUNE!" She yelled out. Everyone around Jaune grinned while he tensed up, eyes widened and went pale.

"Fuck." he whimpered out before being slammed by the person in question. To everyone's surprise, however, he doesn't move an inch, Though, he might have leaned forward a little bit.

"Ow, you're like a brick wall Jaune." She whined.

"Hello to you too Isabel." Jaune half forced out, feeling her get off of him.

"How is your stay Isabel?" Vladimir asked.

"It's gotten so much better!" She yelled out, causing everyone, par Jaune, to laugh. She then turned to Jaune, or at least his backside. "We need to catch up Jaune." She said happily.

"I have things to do after this." Jaune said before mouthing to his family, 'kill me', causing them to laugh at his displeasure.

"Aww, perhaps later." She said sadly.

"What do you have to do Jaune?" Vladimir asked, more for Isabel than him.

"Well, in three days I will be returning to Beacon with my students to finish the semester," Jaune said.

"And when you will come back?" Marietta asked.

"At the end of the semester, I left a mess behind," Jaune said.

"At least you're taking responsibility for all this Jaune." Minerva, his grandmother said.

"The key phrase you're missing; is trying to." Jaune corrected.

"What all do you have to do today?" Bianca asked.

"Double check the teaching schedule for when I get back to Beacon, maybe call Ozpin or Glynda, whoever picks up." Jaune said.

"Well, maybe when you're done, we can catch up." Isabel said in a hopeful tone. Turning and facing her for the first time, he looks down at her. He notices she has a dress similar to Weiss', but rather than white, it's a dark blue with red stockings.

"Maybe, depends on how long the meeting takes." Jaune said, turning to his family.

"Just don't take too long." She said, before leaving. Once she's out of sight, Jaune breathes a sigh of relief.

"I think it's safe to say, the feeling never left." He said causing everyone else to laugh at his misfortune.

"I actually think you disappearing only strengthened it." His father said.

"Yeah." Jaune said, then realized something, "Umm, I just remembered something about the augments I received; the augments causes a severe reduction in my sex drive." He said. Everyone had to stop and think for a moment.

"And you just now tell us about this?" His mother scolded. Jaune's response is to scratch the back of his head nervously.

"Yeah, should've said that sooner," Jaune said nervously.

"Yes, you should've." Vladimir said before sighing, "Not a disastrous side effect, drugs should be able to fix that." Jaune didn't want to bring up the fact that he also has a much higher metabolism and resistance for most drugs that normal people, even people with auras. Meaning, those drugs wouldn't have much effect on him, in theory. His augments may have been changed due to this difference from normal humans, even if Halsey or anyone else found this.

Several hours later, Jaune was back in his room, calling Ozpin. After answering, Jaune was the first to speak. "Ozpin, there's more Spartans now. The Eagle's Talon has landed, no, more like crashed."

Ozpin sat there for a few moments. "I see. Is there anything you can tell me about them?"

"Aside for, they're Spartan IIIs, not II like me, not much. The Eagle's Talon has been handed over to Arcadian officials and will remain there until otherwise stated. They also brought an AI who has found, an anomaly." Jaune said.

This seemed to get Ozpin curious, "What kind of anomaly?" He asked.

"Not much. He said it was energy in nature and somewhere deeper in Sanus." Jaune explained.

"I see. What would you recommend?" Ozpin asked.

"The Spartan III team could be sent to investigate the source to gather more information, I would suggest, only then, should we act on it," Jaune said. Ozpin seemed to agree with him.

"Very well. I trust your judgment on this, but should we get James and Glynda involved?" Ozpin asked.

"Yes to both. James can get us transport if things go belly up and Glynda will very likely to be upset with us if we keep her out of the loop." Jaune said.

"Agreed on both counts, I will inform them both myself. I ask you inform everyone upon your return." Ozpin said.

"Understood Ozpin," Jaune said. However, his thoughts were interrupted when someone knocked on his door. "It's open." He said. A maid peeks her head inside.

"Dinner will in the main hall in an hour your majesty." She said shyly.

"Thank you. I will be there." Jaune said. Looking back at Ozpin, he sees a raised eyebrow. "Oh yes, I forgot to tell you, I'm back home at the Arcadian Palace, my grandfather wished to speak with me."

Ozpin then understands. "And when will you return to your students?" He asked.

"Tomorrow most likely. I'll see you soon." Jaune said as he ended the call. Getting up, he jumps in the shower.

About an hour later. Jaune arrives at the main hall to eat. In the room was his entire family and the Blackmares.

"Ah, I'm glad you could join us Jaune!" His father calls out, causing all talking to stop and everyone to look at him, making him feel uncomfortable.

"Thanks for making me the center again," Jaune said in response. Everyone had some form of suit on while Jaune had a simple pair of jeans and blue, long sleeved shirt.

"You should've dressed better." His mother scolded.

"Well, most of my clothes are a bit too small for me now," Jaune said, causing some of the people there to laugh quietly. Before sitting down, Jaune sees the only available seat was next to Isabel. 'Damn you!' He thinks to himself before sitting down.

The dinner is going well, for the most part with most of the focus is on Jade and how she got accepted to the Ryloth Lower Combat Academy, then someone brings him up.

"So, Jaune, what have you been doing?" Mason asked.

"I'm teaching hand to hand combat at Beacon Academy in Vale," Jaune answered, surprising several of the people there.

"Hand to hand combat? And who has taught you?" Olivia asked.

"UNSC Senior Chief Petty Officer Franklin Mendez." Jaune answered.

"This UNSC, just how powerful are they?" Vladimir asked. Jaune looked down thought.

"From what I understand, it's gone down hill very far. Our fortress world Reach was overrun. I don't have many details about its fall." Jaune said.

"You seem upset by this, why?" Mason asked.

"Reach was my home for the last ten years. It is where we Spartans were trained, and many probably fell defending it." Jaune said, remembering Jorge's tags that Drew gave him. "I know one did."

"I'm sorry to hear that. What can you tell us about the other Spartans or even the program?" His mother asked.

"There's not a whole lot I can tell you about the program, it's still covered in black ink for the most part," Jaune said, hoping to change the subject, thankful Jade happened.

"What's the story for those scars Jaune?" Jade asked, answering his prayer.

"A covenant elite managed to remove and slap me with my own helmet, that and an energy sword to the face," Jaune answered.

"Energy sword?" Vladimir asked.

"It's a covenant weapon that forms a blade made out of plasma, very deadly," Jaune answered.

"Wow, and you did this all with aura?" Karen, his third oldest sister asked, jotting down notes for future research. Jaune simply shook his head.

"No, I didn't have an aura, none of us did. All of my training was done without aura." Jaune said, surprising everyone.

"Did anyone in the UNSC have an aura?" His grandmother asked.

"Minerva, I think I they didn't have any." His grandfather said.

"He's right. No one did. Part of the problem we had fighting the covenant was their energy shields on both their ground forces and their starships." Jaune said.

"Energy shields?" Karen asked.

"Yes Karen, energy shields. We were outnumbered and outgunned with the technological inferiority. Simply put, we were getting our asses kicked thoroughly. Our only advantage was they didn't know the location of our worlds." Jaune said.

"And what of the Spartans?" A woman asked.

"Well, miss..." Jaune said, but drew blanks.

"Anya Blackmare." She answered for him.

"Miss Blackmare, we Spartans were specialized units trained for special missions, search and destroy, high-level assassination, asset retrieval or destruction and so forth. Though we were also sent to reinforce front lines that were at risk." Jaune answered.

"Were you in teams?" Jade asked.

"Yes. I was assigned to Blue team. It was myself, John-117, Jorge-052, and Kelly-087." Jaune answered.

"You were all given numbers?" Violet asked.

"Yeah, we were all given new names? They weren't exactly new names, but simply new designations. Mine was Arc-034." Jaune said.

"Arc? Why not Jaune?" Minerva asked.

"It was originally, but as myself and John started becoming closer comrades, I asked Chief Mendez to have my designation to be changed to Arc-034 to prevent even the smallest amount of confusion," Jaune said.

"Between you and John?"Jade asked.

"Correct." Jaune answered.

"Well, what weapon did you use?" Aqua asked, also having a notepad.

"I used an M392 Designated Marksman Rifle with an M6D Magnum sidearm along with a five-inch long knife." Jaune answered.

"I thought you would've specialized in hand to hand combat?" Mason asked.

"Technically I do, I'm top of the entire class, but I'm a designated marksman as well. I don't like the extreme bulkiness of the SRS99C Sniper Rifle, so I use the DMR." Jaune said.

"Do you still have one?" Bianca asked.

"I brought them with me, yes." Jaune said.

"Can we see them?" She asked.

"I didn't think firearms were allowed at the dinner table." Jaune joked, causing everyone a laugh.

"I wish to see them as well, even though you are right," Vladimir said.

Several minutes later, Jaune returned with his weapons of choice. The first thing the veteran warriors there saw was the size of the weapons, they were very large.

"Woah, can they change forms?" Jade asked.

"Nope, they stay like this." Jaune said, sitting back down. Jaune takes out the magazines of both weapons. "The DMR fires a 7.62x51mm NATO round at speed of 2,600 ft/s" Jaune said, showing the round in question. He allowed everyone to pass it around. "The Magnum sidearm fires a larger 12.7mm round, yes I know it's strange," Jaune said, also passing the bullet around.

"So, why a larger round for the Magnum?" Mason asked.

"I honestly don't know, it's no sniper rifle if that's what you're asking," Jaune said.

"That is strange." Vladimir agreed.

"So why don't you use mech shift weapons Jaune?" Isabel asked.

"Mecha shift weapons are nice, but due to their nature, they are less powerful than the equivalent weapons, at least firearms wise," Jaune explained.

"Are there other reasons?" She asked.

"Yes, the UNSC doesn't really have mecha shift technology to that level, maybe they could compact them to a smaller form, but not change weapon type entirely," Jaune answered.

"Ok, tell us about the Eagle's Talon." Vladimir said, changing to topic.

"The UNSC Eagle's Talon is a Paris Class Heavy Frigate with a length of 535 meters, a width of 199 meters, and a height of 112.3 meters. It's armed with one MK. II MAC Cannon, 80 Archer Missile Pods with pod have 30 missiles each, and 36 50mm M910 Point Defense Guns." Jaune said everyone was clearly shocked by the large amount of weapon systems it carries.

"Is that standard?" His father asked.

"No, standard Paris Class' have one MAC cannon, 40 Archer Missile Pods, and 12 Point Defense Guns. From what I understand, this ship was designed to go behind enemy lines and cause havoc, rather than the traditional role of fleet escort." Jaune explained.

"I see, so a fleet escort? What ships do they escort if your frigates are so large?" Karen asked.

"UNSC Cruisers are generally around 1 kilometer in length with carriers being twice that," Jaune said.

"Wow, what sized ships were you fighting then?" Mason said.

"Covenant CAS Class Assault Carriers are over 5 kilometers in length with most ships being 1 kilometer long," Jaune explained. Everyone simply stopped for a moment.

"Something that large, how do you fight that?" Minerva asked.

"You fight it on your terms, not theirs. Ambushes and traps work great." Jaune said, by this point, dessert had been served. Jaune and just about everyone else had a nice cheesecake, however, the previous conversation was still going through their heads, and it scared them. Jaune had gone into hell and faced its fire, and it wasn't enough. But now only one thought was going through their heads: 'Does the Covenant know where they are?'

In a few moments of silence Jaune had, he feels his tac-pad ring, bringing it up, he sees a simple; 'team is on the move'. Jaune now understood that Adler had perceived the signal as a high level threat and that he would miss some of the action. Looking out the window he sees the Pelican speeding towards the coordinates of the signal.

His family, however, didn't miss this, "Jaune? What's wrong?" Jade asks innocently.

"Nothing, I'm just gonna have a sleepless night tonight." Jaune cryptically answered.

 **I was gonna make an omake, started making it, but then got rid of it, I didn't really like it very much. Anyways, I think this was a very much needed character building chapter, I hope you enjoyed it. Also, to the impatient guest, patience my young padawan.**

 **Also R.I.P. Chester Bennenington. - Drew**


	12. Canyon Fight

**So yeah, I'm starting this the day after I posted the last chapter, I'm bored out of my fucking mind right now. I have no good single player games on the Xbox One that I don't already own, help me. Also, sorry if didn't answer any of your reviews, I read them on the Android mobile app and some of them don't show, so I don't see them, even if they do on the website. Fuck.**

 **Also, not too long ago, I found a good story that I am watching closely, it's called Metastability made by Demons Anarchy of Pride, I highly recommend it because I've been reading the shit out of it for the last two weeks.**

 **Fucking. Worth it.**

 **Also, I've been toying with the idea of an Elite Dangerous fanfic with a high likelihood that it will be a RWBY crossover, yes or no?**

 **-Warning, graphic content ahead-**

 **If you count murder described in detail** _ **graphic**_ **then yeah. Be prepared. I got to work. -Drew**

"Alder, just what are we looking for out here?" Preston asked. Alder had informed Delta to deploy and investigate an anomaly about ten minutes ago. Ten minutes later, they were about five minutes away from its general location.

"Unknown. The only thing we do know is its general location, beyond that everything is not known." Alder replied.

"That's why we were sent out Preston. This is an intel gathering mission." Layne added on from the cockpit.

"I figured that Layne, but what about terrain, do we have anything on that?" Preston asked.

"The area is largely mountainous with river valleys and pine forests. Perfect area to hide something, ignoring the naturally large number of grimm moving through the area." Alder said.

"Ok, but what exactly could that be? Any ideas?" Dakota asked.

"Maybe some old tech. I was reading about an airship that went down in the area about seven months ago." Drew said.

"Airship huh? Who owned it?" Preston asked.

"I think it was Atlas. That or Vale. I do know it was declared all hands lost." Drew said.

"Alright then, we're looking for a downed airship then?" Dakota asked.

"Possible, although I would not put away any other theories just yet," Alder said.

Approaching the area, Delta could see what looked like a walled compound around a central point, and that central point shocked them. The center of the base was a UNSC refit and resupply station very similar to the ones over Reach. The walls appeared to made out of scrap metal and covered the crash site in a semi arc around the area it crashed in. On the canyon walls, impact forces tore parts of it way, leaving large chunks of rock at the bottom of the valley below. Around the wall, what few trees were there were removed, along with trees further in the canyon.

"Umm Drew, what's that doing here?" Layne asked.

"There is a high likelihood we brought it with us by accident, we were using a similar station to hide from Covenant scanners during the Battle of Reach," Alder said. Everyone was looking at the debris and surrounding area and noticed someone or something moving.

"More like fall," Layne said under her breath.

"Sir, we've got movement," Preston said.

"Dakota," Drew said. Dakota didn't even respond, Layne opened the back of the Pelican allowing him to use his sniper rifle as very high powered binoculars.

"Son of a bitch. We've got White Fang everywhere down there." Dakota said, handing the sniper rifle to Drew.

"Fuck dude. You're not lying," Drew said then stopped for a moment. "Alder, is this the source?"

"Negative, the station is not powered, nor are there any large energy sources around it. The center point for the energy is still further on." Adler answered.

"Well, we can't leave UNSC tech in their hands!" Preston said.

"Yeah, I know. Adler, can you contact Jaune from here?" Drew asked.

"Consider it done," Alder said in response.

" _Jaune here, what's your status?"_ Jaune said.

"Sir, we haven't found the source yet, but we found something else. We brought the remains of a station from Reach and the White Fang have the crash site locked down. Requesting orders." Drew said.

" _Can you confirm White Fang presence?"_ Jaune asked.

"Oh I can confirm alright, we're looking at them," Drew replied.

"Understood, stand by." Jaune said, sighing, he looked over at his family. The dinner had ended not even a minute ago when he got the call.

"So I heard White Fang what's going on little Jay?" Bianca asked Jaune.

"The Eagle's Talon brought something with it from Reach, the White Fang owns it now," Jaune said.

"What kind of station is it?" His father asked.

"Drew, what kind of station is it exactly?" Jaune asked.

" _It's not an ODP with an SMAC and state of the art Longswords and Sabre prototypes if that's what you're asking. It's a refit and resupply station."_ Drew answered.

"Engage and destroy, I don't need to tell you how bad this can end for us," Jaune said, surprising everyone there.

"Copy that Commander." Drew said, looking at the ground. "Layne, find us a good landing zone, Adler, take the pelican into the clouds for cover once we're on the ground," Drew said.

"Copy," Adler replied. Several seconds later, the dropship landed in a clearing out of sight from the walled off area. Upon Delta's exit from the craft, it lifted back off and straight up into the clouds above.

"I landed us around 146 meters away Drew," Layne informed.

"Understood, Dakota, find some high ground, Preston, Layne, you're with me," Drew said, causing them to split up.

"I'm telling you, man, I heard something here, I promise!" They heard someone yell.

"Scatter," Drew said over their internal comms. After finding cover, three White Fang grunts came out, each having a UNSC assault rifle. "Silent takedowns, Layne you get the first guy, I'll get the middle, Preston you take the guy at the back."

"Copy." They both say before getting behind them.

"I'm in position, found some nice high ground, it's over for them," Dakota said.

"On my mark," Drew said, as the Spartans got their knives. "Mark." He said. The three Spartans grabbed their targets and quickly and quietly, stabbed them in the back of the neck, cutting the brainstem from the rest of the nervous system.

"Good kills ladies." Adler said.

"Let's get moving," Drew said. Approaching the base, they noticed the wall didn't have any place on the top to walk on, but rather several watch towers guarded the approach.

"Something's not right, this crash site is fresh, yet how did they get this all set up so fast?" Layne asked, bringing the other two Spartans to that little detail.

"You're right Layne." Drew thought for a second. "Dakota, can you see into the camp?"

" _Affirmative, what am I looking for?"_ Dakota asked.

"Barracks of some kind, we need numbers." Drew said.

" _Well, they do have some entrances into the canyon walls themselves, that seems to be where they're coming from, but theres are several structures outside the station and canyon, I can't determine their purpose though,"_ Dakota said.

"Alright, anything else?" Drew asked.

" _I got nothing else Drew,"_ Dakota said.

"Can you take out any of the guys on the towers?" Layne asked.

" _Maybe, if they're not paying attention."_ Dakota said.

"If you can, take the shot," Drew said. Looking back at the wall, he sees several holes in the wall. "Scratch that, we have a way in."

"We do?" Preston asked. Drews response was to point at the holes. "Oh. I guess we do."

"Alright let's go. Layne, you take point." Drew said. Layne's response was to start moving towards the hole in question. Upon reaching the hole, she, a naturally small Spartan, was able to squeeze through.

"I don't think you boys can fit." She said from inside the wall. Inside the compound, the White Fang had done a less impressive job clearing out some of the larger bushes and other pieces of foliage. Also, the area was starting to be lighted by several low powered flood lights. Low powered because of the some of the faunus' natural night vision abilities. Looking back at the other two Spartans, theyhad had managed to move the metal apart quietly enough to get inside. "Alright, what now?"

"We first investigate the structures, then the debris. Preston, you got the structures, Layne, you're going to the debris. I'm going with Preston." Drew said.

"Copy that," Layne said.

" _My orders?"_ Dakota asked.

"Watch the canyon walls and observe for any large groups of people," Drew said. "I'd rather not be spotted." The three Spartans then proceeded to their targets quietly. Drew came onto a poor grunt. They both make eye contact with each other. Before she could even make a single sound, he quickly pistol whipped her which knocked her unconscious and very likely fractured her skull. He then hides her body in a nearby barrel. Preston meanwhile took the more deadly method of punching a grunt in the throat and making him suffocate. He simply hid his body in a bush.

Upon reaching the building, a bell rings. Thinking they were detected, they quickly aim their weapons at the door. However, rather than more guards, workers appear.

"Something's not right here Drew." Preston said. The workers looked worn down, half starved and barely clothed.

"This is a forced labor camp," Drew said in despair. One of the labors, a female faunus, looks over and spots the two Spartans. Preston instantly makes a gesture to be quiet. She nods but was scared beyond belief, but was filled with hope.

"We need to move quickly, she may spread the word around," Preston said.

"I know. Layne, what's your status?" Drew asked.

"I'm almost inside," Layne replied. She had reached the hull of the station and was looking for a way in.

"Alright Drew, let's do this," Preston said, taking point. Entering, he activates his night vision seeing how it was dark as fuck inside. The hallway had boxes stacked on either side with a set of stairs on the other side as well as another hallway.

"Preston, you take the other hallway, I'll go upstairs." Drew said. Preston didn't answer but rather left into the other hall. However, he stopped in his tracks. Both sides of the hall were lined with one large cell with another set of stairs at the end. In the cells, walls split them up based for toliets and sinks, though, there was only a few in each cell.

"I think I found where the people were being held." Preston said.

" _It's not much better up here either,"_ Drew said. Upstairs was a mirror of downstairs. Preston was taken out his momentary shock heard someone moving behind him. Quickly ducking into one of the cells and hid behind a bed. The lights suddenly turned on, allowing him to turn his night vision off.

"I'm telling you, man, someone was left in here." Someone said. Using a mirror to see the two in question, they were both grunts with batons.

"Alright fine, but I'm hoping it's who I think it is." The other said pervertedly. After the two had passed, he came out of his hiding spot and followed them. They arrived at another cell door and entered which was quickly followed a small scream.

"Found you. Did you really think you could hide?" Asshole number 2 said.

"Please. Please don't hurt me." A female voice pleaded out, which caused Preston to be filled with anger and rage, as he was reminded of the destruction of his home planet.

"Mama!" A smaller voice called out. Quickly getting up Preston started charging the two, he grabbed and threw one of them into the bars of the other cell. The mother and child, who looks no older than two, scream again along with asshole number 1. The still standing guard attempted to smack him with his baton but Preston simply caught it in his hand then threw it away. Taking aim, the unloads three buckshot rounds with his suppressed shotgun into the guy's face. The other asshole charged Preston from behind and hit him in the back of head. His attack was stopped by his energy shields. Grabbing his knife, he turned and slashed the guy's throat causing him to grab his throat. Preston stabbed the guy under his chin with his hand still in the way.

Leaving the knife there, for now, he turned to the two scarred people. "Are you two ok?" He asked kindly, coming down to eye level to them. The mother nodded, but he sees they're both still scared. He takes off his helmet, allowing them to see his face, causing them to calm down.

"You're all gonna be ok, this camps being liberated today." he said. He offered to help the mother to her feet which she was thankful for.

Meanwhile upstairs, Drew heard the commotion caused by Preston downstairs. He had been following muffled screams coming from further down the hall.

"The fuck was that?!" He heard someone yell out.

"Forget that. I'm not leaving these bitches unattended." Another said looking at them with perverted eyes. Now the only thing seperating Drew and hte grunts was a wall with a sink.

"Fine then, you two go see what that was." The first voice said. Then, two assholes came out of the cell only to greeted by the large thing.

"Wh-" One of them started, but didn't get to say much, Drew threw him through the cell bars, scaring the shit out of everyone inside the cell. Drew then turned the corner with the other grunts throat in his hand. Turning and facing the last two guards in the room. Drewsimply, breaks the guy's neck in his hand before charging the other two. He grabbed one of the guys' head, and forced it through a wall, killing him instantly. The other guy had a UNSC magnum and tried to fire at the Spartan. The key word there 'try'. Drew simply grabbed the guy's hand and twisted it a full 180 degrees around, breaking every bone in his wrist. The guy doesn't even get a chance to scream as Drew forces his fist through his forehead and into his brain, killing him instantly.

Turning to the other people in the cell, what he sees haunts, horrifies, and thoroughly pisses him off: about seven women, four faunus, three humans, all stark naked with signs of sexual abuse and bruises over their bodies. "It's over now." He said, quietly as he goes to cut them down.

"Who are you?" One of them asked.

"UNSC Spartan III ma'am, we're here to liberate this camp." Drew said, filling them with hope.

" _Drew, what's your status?"_ Preston asked.

"Liberated sex slaves upstairs." Drew answered.

" _I've got a mother and young child down here, they're not looking too good."_ Preston said.

"Adler, what's wrong with these people?" Drew asked.

"All of them appear to have some level of malnourishment along with obvious sexual abuse. One of them is also pregnant, under normal circumstances, I would offer congratulations, but not today." Adler answered, with all of them hearing him. Drew took out the med kit he had with him and started patched what injuries he could up.

Meanwhile, at the station's wreck, Layne was listening to Drew and Preston's conversations and was appalled, it reminded her too much of the UNSC's Insurrectionist movement. Approaching what she thought was the bridge, she was greeted by two guards with their backs to her. Grabbing a flashbang from a wall-mounted resupply locker, she tosses it. After detonating, the two grunts had grabbed their animal ears and tried to soothe them from the extreme pain. She quickly approached one of the incapacitated guards and twisted his head a full 180 degrees then grabbed the other and choked him to death.

Quickly throwing another flashbang into the bridge, she breached in; seeing three more grunts inside all in some level of pain. Aiming at them with her SMG, she quickly killed them all with a few controlled bursts. However, someone threw a crate at her. She uses her Spartan level instincts to dodge the object but the someone in question appeared to be charging Layne with a mace of all things. She grabbed her by the mace and threw her over the shoulder and into a wall. The woman was surrounded by some kind of red shield, thing that protected her from the impact.

"You're not a simple worker, who are you?!" She barked at her, Layne wasn't trying to be racist, the woman was a dog faunus.

"UNSC Spartan III and you have something that belongs to the UNSC." Layne said.

"Stupid humans, thinking you own everything! I'll show you!" She yelled out as she charged Layne again simply dodged the hit and unleashed the remaining 45 rounds into her back, causing her to lose shield. Layne knew this because the last three round connects with her bare back and went into her upper left chest. Stumbling forward, she grabbed the wounds on her chest in extreme pain. Layne then reached for her grenade launcher and fires it point blank range into her chest. The grenade explodes instantly sending pieces of her in all directions.

"Drew, station's bridge is clear." Layne said.

" _Any difficulties?"_ Drew asked.

"Nothing I couldn't handle." She said.

" _Alright, Adler, use Layne to access the station's computer systems."_ Drew said.

" _Understood._ " Adler replied before doing so. Meanwhile back with Preston, he had given the mother and child a MRE ration for them to eat. "I need you two to stay here while we clear out the camp. Ok?" He asked.

"Yes, and thank you." The mother in question said. Putting his helmet, Preston was greeted by Drew with seven women from upstairs. "Friends of yours?" Preston asked.

"Sure." Drew said. "I need you all to stay here, we need to clear the rest of the camp." He said. They all nodded, they all had some bandages on them with whatever rags they could find to cover themselves with. Quietly going outside, they were greeted with all the laborers lining up with all the guards around them.

"Alright, let's do a quick roll call!" The likely camp leader yelled out.

"Dakota, take out the leader, Preston and I will finish the rest off." Drew said.

" _Got it, on your go."_ Dakota said. Drew and Preston took up aim at some of the guards.

"Now!" Drew yelled. A sniper shot flew out and hit the commander, making his entire head disappear and scaring the shit out of everyone there. Then Drew and Preston popped up and opened fire on several of the stunned guards. Drew used his battle rifle to pick off some of the guards at range while Preston used his SMG to dispatch the closer guards. Quickly coming out of their shock several of guards quickly returned fire with taken UNSC weapons while other guards charged them with melee weapons.

The two Spartans continue to fire from their position behind some stacked titanium plating from the station. Preston quickly switched over to his shotgun and charged into the White Fang while Drew uses his BR to its full effect. Dakota had also had not been silent either, he had unleashed his remaining three rounds into some of the charging White Fang before reloading and taking out the guards in the watchtowers. By the end of the firefight, all the floodlights had been turned on fully illuminating the battle field. The laborers had all ducked where they stood and watch the two unknown soldiers slaughtering their White Fang overlords. By this point, Layne had made her presence known by using her grenade launcher to bring down one of the watchtowers. The tower in question came down on a group of grunts taking cover behind some barrels.

Drew, however, was grabbed by some kind of chain and pulled towards someone. Acting on instinct, he grabs the man's arm and throws him over his shoulder and into another guard.

"Do you not know who I am puny human?!" The man in question growled at Drew after pushing the other guard off him.

"No, don't care either, and nobody gives a shit." Drew replied back while grabbing his energy sword and charging. He cuts clean through the guy's chain and slashes at his abdomen, however, he encountered a gray shield thing. "The fuck is this shit? That's grade A bullshit! Worse than fucking Hunters." He thought out loud.

"Ha! You don't even-" The guy started, but was forced to dodge another slash by Drew.

"You really love to hear yourself talk, don't you asshole?" Drew taunts. The man growls in rage and charges him down. Dakota took notice and fired two very shortly timed shots into the guy's chest, timed with a stab from Drew, it goes clean through and into the guy's abdomen and out of his back. Taking out the sword, Drew then cuts his head clean off, grabs it, and throws out into the open. Even stops and looks at the dead guys head, then back at Drew. They quickly surrender seeing the strongest member there toss aside like a rag. "Now then assholes, come out into the open, don't make us come pull you out." He says. His words had their desired effect, making the last dozen or so remaining grunts come out into the open. "Don't worry, we won't kill you, just badly maim you."

"Knock it off Drew, form up over there into a group." Layne said, pointing to an open clearing. "Call it in Drew."

"Yeah, yeah. Jaune do you read?" Drew called.

Back in Arcadia, Jaune was in the royal library reading up on current events when he was called.

"Go ahead, Drew." He answered.

" _We've cleared the camp, but it wasn't just a simple base, it was also a forced labor camp as well."_ Drew said.

"Understood. I'll rally some troops and meet you over there, Arc out." Jaune said, racing for where his parents are.

"Hey, mother!" He called after finding them.

"What is it?" She asked, surprised by his sudden arrival.

"Remember that White Fang camp I was called about? It was more than a simple base, it was a forced labor, I need several airships to go out there." Jaune said, explaining the situation.

"I can't order that Jaune, only grandfather can do that." His mother said.

"What the hell are you standing around for!? Get your asses moving now!" His grandfather yelled out, he was apparently within earshot.

Around fifteen minutes later, a small force of five airships, one capital class airship and four smaller airships. The four smaller ones landed in open inside the camp while the capital class remained overhead, illuminating the area further. On one of the airships, Prince Jaune stepped out to survey the area, having put his body suit back on. In one area, around two to three dozen bodies had been piled up with another dozen living White Fang members in another area with who he thinks is Layne watching over them.

"Alright, I want food, water, and clothes to these people first, and treat the wounded as best you can!" Jaune yelled out.

"Commander!" Jaune heard, turning around, hegreeted, by Drew, Preston, and Dakota, the four saluted each other.

"You did well Spartans, you've earned your title today, but was this the main objective?" Jaune asked.

"Negative sir. The anomaly originated further into the valleys." Drew said.

"Understood. I'm giving you new orders, assist in protecting this camp until it's fully evac'd, then proceed with the original mission. Use the station to resupply if needed. I'm gonna have some troops garrisoned here for the foreseeable future." Jaune said. "Or at least I'll try to." Jaune finished as he turned to the laborers.

Several hours later, Jaune had finished talking with his grandfather, and he didn't like what he was told, and he knew Delta wasn't going to either. "Delta, I've got some bad news, specifically for Drew. You're coming back with me to the Palace, my grandfather wants you to inform the council of what happened here. The rest of you are to stay here and lock down the base, I doubt the White Fang will take this sitting down. If they return, use all necessary force to keep them at bay." Jaune said.

"Really? Do have a say in this?" Drew asked.

"I'm afraid not. This came from my grandfather, the King of Arcadia, you four fall under my jurisdiction, if I'm given an order to give you guys, we have to follow it. They haven't given any to you directly since they haven't found a use for you yet." Jaune explained.

"Understood sir." Drew said.

"Rules of engagement?" Preston asked.

"Shoot them if they fire at you. If they start observing you, follow them home if possible, Jaune answered.

"Understood sir." Preston said, saluting along with the other two members of Delta. After saluting back, he indicated for Drew to follow. After getting in a bullhead, the two were met with a reporter.

'Fuck' They both thought at the same time.

"Crown Prince Jaune, and umm, who are you?" She asked.

"Classified, who are you?" Drew asked.

"Lisa Lavender, Vale News Network, I have some questions for you too, if you are willing to answer." She said after introducing herself.

"Maybe." Jaune answered.

"I'd rather not." Drew said.

"Prince, what was the nature of the White Fang's base here?" She asked, completely ignoring Drew's comment.

"Its seems to be a labor camp with some debris of unknown origin. We believe that the missing airship was downed by unknown forces, the ground team led by Delta Zero Seven here believes that most were survivors from the crash along with some 'imported' laborers from an unknown source. What they were mining is unknown at this time." Jaune answered.

"Ok, Delta Zero Seven, can I get an actual name and see what's under the helmet?" She asked.

"You can ask, and no." Drew said.

"Ok, what was your encounter with the White Fang like?" She asked ignoring his statement again.

"Elaborate please." Drew said.

"How many were there, what kind of weapons, what about their leadership?" Lisa asked.

"There was about three dozen of them, weapons are too numerous to count, and there was maybe two lieutenants. Most appeared to not have an aura with the two lieutenants being the exception. Both were killed causing the last dozen or so grunts to surrender." Drew explained.

"I-I see," She said, no stumbled. "Why would they send people this far into grimm territory without an aura?" She asked.

"We have no idea, they may do this with newly established bases to fortify them before better personnel and equipment arrive." Jaune answered.

"I see, but why this far in Grimm territory?" Lisa asked.

"I don't know, why don't you ask them?" Drew said sarcastically.

"Moving on, Delta, I do have a question specifically for you, what is your connection to the Crown Prince here?" She asked.

"We fall under his jurisdiction, giving us a fair amount of autonomy to act." Drew said.

"They don't fall under the standard Arcadian Military or any military slash defense force. Think of them like freelancers, but under my command." Jaune explained further.

"I see, so what is their pay then?" She asked.

"That is not information you need to know ma'am." Jaune said, shutting that down.

"Commander Delta, is this your first encounter with the White Fang this far into the continent?" She asked, changing the subject.

"This isn't the first encounter with them we've had, but certainly this far out here. Also, I'm no commander." Drew said.

"Then, may I ask what your mission was out here?" She asked.

"I asked them to investigate the disappeared airship in this area and scout it out for any hostile activity, this also included any grimm in the area." Jaune explained.

"And they found this base." She said.

"Correct. Though the term 'base' might be generous, this is more of an outpost than an actual base. It's too small and under manned." Jaune corrected.

"How many men do you think this base would need to be called a base?" She asked.

"There isn't a definitive answer for that, the term base can be, subjective at times." Jaune said.

"Labor camps generally aren't called bases. I would call them, I shitty place to be." Drew explained.

"I see, I have some more questions." She said. Internally, the two men groaned on the inside.

Several hours later, the airship finally set down allowing the two to get away from the reporter.

"Thank Christ, I have never been so willing to kill a reporter." Drew said, allowing his bloodlust to subside.

"I know Drew, for now, however, we can relax. The only question that will likely be asked is the nature of the base, and you don't have to spare details." Jaune reassured. "And you can take the helmet off."

"With permission, I would like to keep it on." Drew said.

"That's fine, they might be upset, however." Jaune said.

"Jaune!" Isabel yelled out.

"Isabel." He replied.

"Is this her?" Drew asked.

"Yes. Isabel, Delta Zero Seven, but you can call him Delta, Delta, Isabel Blackmare." Jaune introduced. Drew saluted her causing her to look confused. "He's military, they don't like handshakes."

Her eyes suddenly showed understanding, "Oh I see, well, do you have time right now?" She asked hopefully.

"Sorry, we have been summoned by my grandfather, it's classified information. Sorry, Isabel." Jaune said, causing her to look saddened.

"But you don't have any spare time." She said sadly. Jaune's response to put a hand on her shoulder.

"That's because I'm a busy person, I have too many duties to attend too." Jaune said.

"Like the meeting for starters." Drew said, butting into the conversation.

"Yes, like that. We must be going." Jaune, pulling Drew away.

"Is she always this sad?" Drew asked.

"Sometimes. She," Jaune stopped for a moment, "just wants to make up for lost time I suppose." Jaune said.

"So what kind of lost time? More specifically how exactly do you know her?" Drew asked.

"Her father was my father's partner during their Fury days and became close friends when they graduated, they both went here, the capital to help with some expansion they were doing back then. Some time passes, and we were born, myself as a prince and Isabel as a Lady of the Court or something like that. I don't know the exact term. About a year before I was drafted into the Spartan program, she started growing an affection, to me. I'll leave it at that." Jaune explained.

"Oh, so she's a type of "Royalty" and she has the hots for you. Damn. Sucks for her. You did let her know what the augments do to people? Right?" Drew asked.

"Not exactly for both counts. Family friends are often allowed into the court by whoever they are friends with. More often than not, they're partners with a royal family member and yes very much so. She has the hots for me and I can't say for sure if it's a curse or not. And as for the augments,but no one knows just how far they go. I'm hoping to keep that under wraps." Jaune answered.

"A simple no would have worked for the augment question. Regardless, why do you say it's a curse? Is she some sort of psycho-bitch?" Drew asked.

"Not psycho per-say, she's not obsessive, but she can be too close to it at times." Jaune explained. However, a large door stopped their conversation, "I'll continue this at a later date."

"Understood." Drew said, understanding the context was about to change. Entering the room, both Jaune's parents, grandparents, and oldest twins were waiting. They were sitting at a table that formed a semi arch around a central point, the point in question where the person or persons spoke with them.

"So this is him Jaune?" Olivia asked.

"Yes this is Lieutenant Drew D-Zero Seven, he led the team on the ground." Jaune introduced. "Drew, Bianca, Olivia, Alexander, Marietta, King Vladimir, and Queen Minerva." He said. 'Holy shit, never do that again.' He thought.

"Sir, ma'am." Drew said, addressing the King and Queen.

"Lieutenant, what can you tell us about the White Fang's outpost?" Alexander asked.

"The compound was centered around the crash site of UNSC refit and resupply station. There were around three dozen guards all using captured UNSC weapons and without an aura. They were being led by one lieutenant with another likely leading the salvage operation. The camp also housed a forced labor camp that was mining out the canyon face. What they were mining is currently unknown." Drew explained.

"I see. What can you tell us about the lieutenants in question." Vladimir said.

"One of the lieutenants I engaged in the open, he had a gray energy field, I'm assuming it was an aura, and a chain type weapon. The other lieutenant was engaged and killed by another member of our team, Layne D-Fourteen." Drew answered.

"I see. How many White Fang members survived?" Vladimir asked.

"Around a dozen surviving grunts surrendered after I decapitated the lieutenant I was engaged with." Drew said.

"Who gave the order to use lethal force?" Minerva asked.

"I did." Jaune said, surprising everyone. "Remember the dinner table? _Engage and destroy_. My exact words." Jaune said.

"Why give such an order?" His mother asked.

"I would not allow the White Fang to copy UNSC weapon designs. I knew the station would have some amount of personal weapons along with the possibility of having ship-grade munitions on board including MAC rounds and Archer missiles. I will not allow those assets to fall into their hands." Jaune explained.

"Very well, I will accept your judgment on this Jaune, you know those weapons better than any of us." Vladimir said.

"The laborers, what can you tell us about them?" Olivia asked.

"The laborers appeared to have come from a downed airship that was reported in the area. Though it is very likely that more were brought in from another location. Some were also being used as sex slaves on top of forced physical labor." Drew said. Everyone was horrified by this report, then it turned to anger.

"What happened to those that were abusing them?" Jaune mother asked, eyebrows twitching in anger.

"Those we found in fact we killed, the most notable death was my fist through one of their skulls." Drew said. They calmed down knowing some justice was done.

"Thank you for rescuing them, Lieutenant." Vladimir said, stopping to collect himself. "Is there any more to add to your report?"

"Nothing notable sir." Drew said.

"I'll have all the members of Delta give me a written debriefing in the next few days." Jaune said.

"I wish to see those debriefings when you're finished with them." Vladimir said.

"Of course grandpa." Jaune said.

"If that is all, may I take my leave?" Drew asked.

"Yes, you are dismissed." Vladimir answered. Drew saluted them turned and walked out.

"I can see why you trust them Jaune." Bianca said.

"They're very good at what they do. They'll complete their task if given one." Jaune said.

"Why so many people killed though?" Olivia asked.

"We Spartans were taught that if an enemy is still able to shoot at you, he's still a hostile combatant. Combine that with pinpoint precision shooting, we tend to leave a lot of bodies behind." Jaune explained.

"Thank you, Jaune. I think I speak for everyone when I say, we need some sleep." Vladimir said.

"I agree." Jaune said, looking at a clock above them, he sees it's around midnight. "I'm returning to Fury tomorrow, then two more days until we return to Beacon." Jaune said.

"I wish you luck with your students Jaune. And one more thing," Vladimir said, stopping Jaune from leaving. "I trust Ozpin, but be careful with how much you tell him. He has very powerful enemies that would love to see him killed. I don't wish to see you go again."

"I understand. There's a lot I'm telling people for that very reason. Information is king right now, so the fewer that know about this, the better." Jaune said.

"I'm glad to see that lesson hasn't left you." Vladimir said in approval.

"There's a lot you taught me I haven't forgotten," Jaune said.

The rest of the day passed with not much more happening. After getting up, Jaune's first thing to do was to shower then check up on Drew afterward.

About half an hour later, Jaune finds him looking at his scroll. He was so fixated on the device he didn't notice Jaune walk in.

"Drew." Jaune called out.

Visibly jumping and almost dropping the scroll, he looks at Jaune,"Jesus! Don't scare me like that!" Drew snapped.

"Maybe you should pay attention better." Jaune said before looking up at the morning sky. The sky was completely clear with only some small clouds hanging overhead.

"Listen, I'm trying to keep the reports from the rest of Delta straight. Some new info came up and I'm trying to pick out the important parts." Drew said, moving the scroll up to indicate it.

"Anything of note?" Jaune asked.

"Well, the mine is more of a cave. However, doors of a metallic structure were found with no clear way to open them. So far, not even a MAC round can penetrate it. Besides just that, Grimm sightings have increased in the area." Drew reported.

"What kind of Grimm and how many?" Jaune asked, sitting down on a bench opposite Drew.

"Well, some I don't know of. Besides more Nevermores, Ursa, and Beowolves, there have been sightings of a grimm that reminds me of a Manticore or Griffin. What really interests me is that door. I want to know what's behind it and why it's on this planet." Drew finished.

"Could it be these 'forerunners' that Adler has reported to me about?" Jaune asked. "The manticore grimm you were talking about is called manticore. They're far smarter than most grimm, they're more interested in watching us. They have a very high intelligence to the point where they won't attack us on sight, so long as you do the same."

"Although Alex did mention 'forerunner,' all technology known about them doesn't match with the door. Similar, yes, but the makeup of the door is vastly different. Like it was made by another just as large force as the forerunners."

"Could be a 'forerunner' sub faction then?" Jaune asked. "Have we encountered them before?"

"Yes. On Onyx. Where all of the Spartan III's were trained. Sentinels from a dormant forerunner manufacturing plant suddenly popped back to life and were asking about 'reclaimers'. So we have made contact with forerunner technology. Even John's AI is based off forerunner tech."

"I see. Moving on, what other grimm was spotted?" Jaune asked.

"Only the manticore. As far as I know." Drew replied.

"Alright. I'm sure there might be more questions from them today, but that's not guaranteed, however." Jaune said, getting off the bench he was sitting on.

"As long as your "girlfriend" doesn't keep us, I have no quarrels." Drew said getting up to follow Jaune.

"I'll try to keep that from happening." Jaune said, starting back for the palace. "You know, you could join us for breakfast, better than UNSC ration."

"I prefer my eggs scrambled." Drew joked causing Jaune to lightly chuckle.

"Alright, I'll let the chefs know." Jaune joked back.

"So after this whole shit storm blows over what should we do next? Delta still needs to do something, even if we are out of UNSC reach." Drew asked.

"I guess you guys could get to know the planet and its tech a bit more, become more knowledgeable of dust and it's used. I've been meaning to start incorporating it into my weapons." Jaune said.

"Maybe, I'll see what we can do." Drew said as the two entered the dining hall.

"Ahh, Drew! Joining us I see." Alexander said.

"Yeah, I convinced him to eat with us." Jaune said.

"Can you get rid of the armor though?" Minerva said more than asked.

"Not possible. I don't have the equipment necessary to remove the armor. Even if I did, I prefer the comfort of wearing it." Drew said, taking off his helmet.

"I see. I do hope the chairs can hold the weight." Minerva said.

"Time to test that theory." Drew said as he pulled out a chair and sat down. The chair groaned a lot but held firm. "Remind me again, what are these chairs made out of?"

"I couldn't tell you if I tried," Jaune said as he was sitting down.

"I'm gonna go with, space magic." Drew joked, causing most of the attendees to laugh lightly.

"So Jaune, when are you coming to visit Ryloth?" Jade asked.

"When I have free Jade, I do leave for Beacon in a few days, and I've been neglecting my students." Jaune explained.

"Spartan way of saying, I'm gonna train the hell out of them till their legs are turned into jelly." Drew translated.

"Ehh, they'll be fine." Jaune shrugged. "But you're forgetting the part where we train after their legs are made out of jelly." Jaune said with a grin.

"You could do something like hell week in two or three days." Drew thought out loud.

"Hmm, I could fit it in maybe, five-ish days." Jaune said, thinking of various ways he could do so in his head. Away from the two of them, everyone else was having a field day with laughing.

"J-Jaune stop! I can't breathe!" Karen yelled while she could still breathe. Unseen to all of them, the Blackmares had joined them.

"What's so funny?" Mason asked.

"Apparently, something I said." Jaune answered.

"Jaune, son, I feel sorry for your students." Alexander said.

"Wait. We are being dead serious about this." Drew said.

"Well, maybe not the hell week. You kinda need a week to do that." Jaune said, then a thought occurred. "I know what we can do once the semester is over." He said, looking at Drew.

"Oh no, we just graduated!" Drew yelled.

"That ain't gonna stop me. Let's see how good of a trainer Kurt is." Jaune said, causing a new wave of laughter to sweep the table.

"Jaune! Stop being so mean!" Violet yelled.

"Sorry little sis, it's too easy." Jaune said.

"I'll show you easy." Drew said under his breath.

"What was that Lieutenant?" Jaune said.

"Nothing you should concern yourself with, sir." Drew said.

"We'll see about that." Jaune said, however, about a dozen or so servants arrived with food.

"What did I tell you, better than any ration." Jaune said pointing out all the food in front of them. Today was apparently a breakfast buffet style day, so everything was available.

"You were not kidding." Drew said, his mouth starting to water. Drew grabbed a plate full of fruit, a waffle, scrambled eggs, and bacon. Jaune grabbed some waffles, french toast, and biscuits and gravy.

Around the time everyone was finished eating, about twenty minutes later, the butlers started removing the empty plates when Drew happened.

"Pedos in speedos, down by the beach," Everyone stopped to look at him with Jaune and the other adults quickly planning on how to kill him, "pedos in speedos, watch where they reach."

"Drew, what the actual hell, was that?" Jaune said, his voice was low and dangerous.

"Uh, shit." Drew said, realizing he fucked up.

"Shit indeed Lieutenant. You were wrong by the way, there is an armor rack here, you're only saving grace is I don't my armor here." Jaune said.

"Why don't you even the playing field then." Vladimir spoke up. "Drew, remove your armor."

"That was not a request by the way." Jaune added in.

"Listen no one, and I mean NO ONE, touches my armor but me! Are we clear on that?" Drew exclaimed.

"Very well, if that is what you wish." Vladimir said.

"Main courtyard, twenty minutes, if you're not there, I'm dragging your ass there." Jaune said in a not so threatening tone.

"Yes Ma'am." Drew said as snarkily as possible.

Jaune's response was to stare very intensely at Drew, "I was gonna go easy. But maybe not anymore." Jaune said. Unseen by him, the younger of his siblings were starting to sweat just by the sheer tension in the room.

"You were gonna go easy? Are you sure you're a Spartan?" Drew teased. Jaune simply cracked his neck.

"Courtyard, you have ten minutes. I would get moving Lieutenant." He said, getting up and walking out.

By the time ten minutes had passed, word by moved through the palace like wildfire, the Prince was about to kick the shit out of someone. Upon exiting the building, Drew was greeted by Jaune standing at the far end of the courtyard with not only the entire royal family but also the guards and servants of the house.

"Ready?" Jaune asked, getting into a combat pose.

"3. 2. 1. Fight!" Jean yelled from the side, causing the two to clash.

 **You guys are gonna hate me! A CLIFFHANGER!**

 **Now the readers hate me too. Shit. I still hoped you all enjoyed this chapter. - Drew**


	13. Discoveries and Heart to Heart

Once again, I'm typing this the day after the last one, though that didn't do much good last time now did it. In other news, I rewatched the Fall of Reach animated movie on Netflix, so happy I did that. It refreshed my memory on the start of the Spartan II program as well as an insight on how Jaune could have survived Chi Ceti. To the reviews;

Arc-Angel-Of-Fire: One: nice name, two: someone doesn't like cliffhangers.

MarauderPrime12: Thank you for your nice words.

Kloensy1: I was too.

Husebad: Someone is well educated in the YouTubes.

I think that's it right? I hope so.

While the fight was about to go down in Arcadia, Ozpin, Summer, and Glynda were talking about the future of their 'group'.

"Summer, it's time we talked about this," Ozpin said.

"About what exactly?" She asked.

"About informing our resident Spartan about your, abilities. As well as your daughter." Ozpin stated.

"I will tell Ruby myself soon Ozpin. I have no illusions about that. As for Jaune, I don't know. There's much he's not telling us about the Spartan Program." Summer said.

"There's very good reason for that Summer. What he and the others were forced to go through was inhumane and downright cruel, of course, he wouldn't tell us everything." Glynda said, defending his decision.

"I agree with Glynda on this Summer, those are different things you are comparing," Ozpin said.

"What about the other Spartans?" Glynda asked.

"Maybe, we let Jaune tell them, in this room." Summer suggested. Both Ozpin and Glynda thought about it for a moment.

"That's not a bad idea, they would most likely trust something he would tell them," Glynda said.

Back in Arcadia, after hearing the fight, Jaune didn't immediately go forward, rather took a whole two steps forward before going into a defensive stance. He was watching Drew closely. Drew mirrored his movements for a short time, likely studying the Spartan II as well. The two started circling each other before someone moved. Jaune dashes forward and parried the other Spartan by grabbing his forearm and trying to throw him.

Credit to Drew, he quickly moved and attempted to do the same to Jaune. Jaune used his free hand to grab his free arm and hold it up. He quickly rips his other arm free and punches Drew square in the chest hard, sending him backward. He doesn't let Drew recover, he makes a small jump and knees Drew under the chin causing him to stumble backward further.

Drew recovers quickly and blocks Jaune's next attack by dodging it and punching Jaune in the chest. He takes a step forward and repeats the move. With Jaune thoroughly stunned, he attempts to continue his attack with, limited success. Drew's previous hand to hand fighting with other Spartans had always been with other IIIs, not a II. Spartan IIs reaction and recovery times were higher that IIIs. Drew knew this, but he wasn't expecting him to recover that quickly.

Jaune jumped up and kicked Drew square in the face sending Drew backward once more. Rather than push, he took a step back to analyze everything that had just happened, both were faster than the average person, he had a slight edge because of his aura, but I wouldn't be much help here, and Drew was learning quickly. He knew because he was doing the same.

On Drew's end, he had done the same thing but also knew Jaune had actual combat experience against very real and deadly elites and hunters to name a few. Unseen to both, the audience was watching closely. Few had seen either of them (Jaune) in combat, fewer still knew what to expect. The only time any of them that were watching them had seen the fighting through post combat video recordings from Jaune's helmet. To see the young man fight in a third person viewpoint was awe inspiring.

Drew took the next move by moving forward and started swinging on Jaune's right. Jaune, obviously, blocked these attacks only to be hit _hard_ on his left breaking any defense momentarily. Recovering quickly, he went for a roundhouse only for Drew to block and swing his foot low and kick his other foot off the ground sending him to ground with a loud thud. Rolling backward, Jaune was soon back on his feet.

"Wow. I didn't think he was that good." Jade said.

"Excellent recovery," Mason said offhandedly.

"He left himself open through," Alexander said.

"It looked like Drew's attack was a spur of the moment though," Bianca said. In the back, Karen was writing down everything that was going on. Aside from that being her job, she was hoping to ask Jaune about them later.

Back with the two Spartans, they had resumed a stand off only this time very close to each other, arm's length closer to be more specific. Jaune was the first to move by a feigned attack from Drew left only for him to undercut Drew completely. Drew was stunned momentarily by the sudden fist to his chin. Taking this as his chance, Jaune swung his foot around connecting with the side of Drew's head. After the hit, Drew was sent straight to the ground. Upon getting back up, he stumbled a few steps. Dashing forward, Jaune grabbed Drew's upper left arm and pulled him towards him while swinging his right elbow into his face and sending him onto the ground on his back.

"That's it Drew, game over," Jaune said stepping back.

"Damn, you hit like a truck," Drew said, still laying firmly on his back.

"Damn right I do," Jaune said, crossing his arm. "Are you done with your shit today?" His words causing most of the spectators to laugh, he had well deserved his beat down.

"Maybe, if it doesn't give me any more of these," Drew said, still on the ground.

"Oh get up you big baby," Jaune said, offering a hand up. Taking the hand, he helped Drew get up. After getting on his feet, he stumbled around for a few moments.

"I've been meaning to ask you something later if you're up for it," Drew said.

"It depends, about what?" Jaune said, indicating for Drew to follow.

"It's about Chi Ceti. After you guys got your armor for the first time. How did you survive?" Drew asked, causing Jaune to stop for a moment and put a hand on his chest, right where he had been shot.

"Inside," Jaune said quietly. Most were very aware of his sudden change in tone, this was something personal.

The two arrive at an empty storeroom before stopping. "So, what would you like to know?"

"How did you survive? Your armor was MK IV GEN 1, it had no shields with some pretty bad sealing abilities." Drew elaborated.

"Ahh. I see. The sealant your current gen armor used was based off the one that saved my life. The armor had used some fairly good sealant, against conventional weapons, but sealing after a plasma based weapon, they are pretty useless. The lab that we got the armor from was working on an experimental metal foam sealant to be used in starships. It didn't work as intended, it was too weak for ship based repairs, but was perfect of our armor." Jaune explained.

"That's how you survived," Drew said, reality dawning on his face. Unseen and unheard to them, the rest of Jaune's family was outside, and they were shocked by this new information.

"If you didn't have that foam," Drew started.

"I wouldn't have been able to leave that Covenant ship and stayed on board to defend the nuke. It would've killed me." Jaune said, sitting down on a crate, remembering his brush with death. "That was easily my closest encounter with death, and it scared the shit out of me."

"I can't believe it!" Someone yelled out, scaring the two men very much, Drew instinctively reaching for his pistol that wasn't there. Looking at the door, they were greeted by Jaune's family plus Isabel.

"Uh, shit," Jaune said.

"What the hell?! Have you been listening?!" Drew yelled.

"Yes, and why didn't you," Mariette said, pointing at Jaune, "Why didn't you tell us sooner?"

"If I had my way, you wouldn't have to know about it at all. I didn't want you to worry." Jaune said, on the inside shitting bricks. His mother's reaction is to move very quickly and hug her son.

"Don't hold things like this back." She said softly. Jaune's only response was a soft sigh of acceptance.

"Besides, you know we're more likely to worry about things you haven't told us yet," Violet said. From under his mother, Jaune let a genuine laugh.

"Yeah, I should know better, shouldn't I?" Jaune asked.

"Yup," Mariette said, before turning her gaze to Drew. "And how did get our son to open up about this?"

"Uhh, I asked him and it certainly helped that I had a general idea about the events in question," Drew said.

"I feel like there's more to this," Karen said.

"Yeah, there is," Drew said. "We all learned that the Covenant could be killed, and we had a chance to win the war."

"It only nearly cost me everything I had left." Jaune half joked only for his mother to slap him across the back of his head.

"Don't you dare use dark humor in a time like this!" She snapped at him.

"Sorry. Sorry." Jaune said, his ears ringing from the simple proximity of his mother's yelling.

"You'd better be." His mother said with Isabel thinking it as well.

"Well, that was a good fight to watch, how did you learn that?" Jade said, changing subjects to both Jaune and Drew's relief. Jade could be like Ruby sometime, thought about fighting in general rather than simply weapons.

"Well, it took a lot of training sis." Jaune said, "And you please get off me, mom?" He asked with his mother letting go of him. "About eight years of training to be exact."

"From the age of six to fourteen," Drew said.

"Yeah, that long," Jaune said, noticing Isabel sit down next to him. 'Right, she's gonna want to be close.' He thought to himself.

"So, hand to hand? Why not sword fighting?" Jade asked.

"Sword play is all but extinct in military use, replaced by knives for the most part. And as for why? I don't know, it just came naturally to me." Jaune said then thought for a moment. "I suppose it was because I wanted to be versatile. Someone who can fight at long range but still hold their own at very close range."

"But that doesn't mean we're slackers everywhere else though," Drew added. "We all just have our own preferences."

"So what about you Drew, what's your specialty?" Jade asked Drew.

"My specialty would be assassinations. If you need someone dead, I'll get it done. I'm one of the best when it comes to knives." Drew calmly replied.

"So there's enough you to be assassins, wow," Jaune said surprised.

"Yeah, so you're like a spy then, or a hitman?" Jade asked.

"Woman in his case." Jaune joked.

"Listen up Jaune. Just cause you kicked my ass a few moments ago doesn't mean I can't do what I do best. I was almost selected to try and kill none other than Thel Vadamee." Drew boasted.

"And I'm supposed to know who this is?" Jaune said.

After mentally kicking himself, Drew spoke up, "He's the one who led the attack on Reach." Jaune's hands instinctively balled into fist.

"And you didn't why exactly?" Jaune asked dangerously.

Drew just shrugged his shoulders, "I have never received the confirmation from FLEETCOM or ONI. Last time I checked, ONI was gathering intelligence on him." Drew explained.

"Wait, what's FLEETCOM?" Alexander asked.

"FLEETCOM is part of the larger HIGHCOM, both meaning Fleet Command, and High Command respectfully. FLEETCOM falls under HIGHCOM's command as they control all aspects of the UNSC Military." Jaune explained. Alexander simply nodded his head in understanding. "So, any more questions?" Jaune asked.

"Yeah, when is round two?" Violet asked jokingly. Drew and Jaune looked at each other.

"Well, I would like to fight him in my armor," Jaune said.

"Beacon then?" Drew asked.

"Beacon," Jaune confirmed.

"Fuck yeah." Drew grinned.

"Alright America, calm down." Jaune joked.

"What can I say? The power of freedom flows through me." Drew joked causing everyone to laugh.

"Good. Good. Let the hate flow through you." Jaune said.

"Ok, Palpatine. Just make sure you don't scorch the armor." Drew joked.

After the much needed comic relief from the two Spartans, the rest of the day passed without incident with only one other person wanting to fight one of the two Spartans, he was completely ignored by the two. Sadly for the Arcs, Jaune had to return to Fury while Drew returned to his team in the field. Back in what Drew is now calling Blood Gulch, the other members of Delta were waiting for him to return.

The base had been improved significantly. Since it was technically in Arcadian territory, they could keep maintaining the outpost how long as they wanted to.

And they decided to do just that.

The walls had been significantly improved to solid steel with no unwanted points of entry and one main gate. The building in the center in the middle had been torn down and placed with landing pads with the likely barracks and command center up against the cliff and into some of the caves. The station had more the significantly reduced to large piles of scrap metal and salvaged tech. Part of the agreement that Jaune had made with the Eagle's Talon was extended to the station's wreckage, with Delta allowed to remove anything they deemed necessary (i.e. any nukes).

After setting down, Drew hopped back out with his team greeting him, "So, we miss anything important?" Layne asked.

"Just me fighting and losing to Jaune," Drew said.

"Wow, what did you do?" Preston asked.

"I happened," Drew said bluntly.

"Oh boy, this gonna be funny," Dakota whispered over to Layne. After explaining the events that led to the fight, Layne was holding Drew in a headlock calling him an idiot with other members of Delta firmly in their asses laughing them off. After collecting themselves, they brought Drew up to date.

"We've had some White Fang scouts watching us, but kept their distance, that and some grimm too," Preston said. The two some how got on the wall.

"Anything notable?" Drew asked.

"Some big ass elephant looking ones. Besides that, nothing other beowolves and ursas." Preston said.

"What have the Arcadians been doing?" Drew asked.

"Upgrading this place. The commander told me this is gonna be a permanent base from now on." Preston said, surprising Drew.

"Really now? Why is that?" Drew asked.

"Mostly for us to continue investigating that energy source, but also to look into that door we found." Preston elaborated.

"What has Adler found about it?" Drew asked.

" _Not much I'm afraid. We don't have the equipment to do detailed scans of the materials making up the door. I'm still not sure if it's forerunner. There could be a possibility that it predates even them._ " Adler said, bumping in.

"Ok, something older than the forerunners, anything to confirm this?" Drew asked.

" _I'm afraid not, the door cannot be dated with any known dating techniques, even the simple carbon dating technique isn't helpful here,"_ Adler said.

"So all dating abilities are useless, is there anything we've gathered on it?" Drew asked.

" _I'm afraid not_ ," Adler said.

"Moving the subject, what about the energy source?" Drew asked.

" _It hasn't moved or increased slash decreased in strength_ ," Adler said.

"Basically, it hasn't done a fucking thing," Preston said.

" _To put it bluntly, yes,"_ Adler said.

" _What now?"_ Dakota asks.

"We're moving into the valley, we still haven't completed our objective," Drew answered.

" _We're already at the front door,"_ Layne said.

"Let's get moving Preston," Drew said. The two didn't have to go far, just down some stairs. "Alright Delta, let's get moving."

"You guys are leaving already?" One of the guards asked with an eyebrow raised. Unlike Atlas, Arcadia has their soldiers faces more open than them. However, they wore specially made glasses that held their heads up display, while the electronics were similar to the United States' Land Warrior Project from the 21st Century. The armor has a mobile communications system that allows soldiers to communicate with their superiors even if they are out range of the CCT system.

"Yeah, we're doing some more recon, we won't be far." Drew said.

"Understood. Control, Delta's moving on recon, opening the main gate." The guard said opening said gate with a button. The gate itself was large enough for a scorpion MBT to go through with about a foot to spare. "Good luck out there Delta." He said as the four Spartans walked out of the base.

"Adler, how are far away is it?" Drew asked.

" _It is approximately 55.76 kilometers away. It should take us about a day to get there on foot."_ Adler replied.

"Who said anything about going on foot?" Layne said, indicating the landing Pelican.

" _You know you could've landed that inside the base, right Delta?"_ The base commander asked. Delta had established a separate comms system to stay in contact with base's commander.

"Yeah, but's it more fun this way." Layne said.

" _You are four are crazy, good hunting out there."_ The base commander said. After loading into the Pelican, the Spartans move out.

" _The energy source is coming from the mountain ahead and about half a click down."_ Adler said.

"So, we're tunnel rats now?" Dakota asked.

" _Pretty much, however, I'm also detecting large amounts of grimm in the area. I would suggest caution_." Adler added.

"Understood Adler. Can you detect what kind of grimm are down there?" Drew asked.

" _I'm afraid not, grimm are difficult to scan with our damaged equipment. I would suggest repairs slash upgrades upon arriving at Beacon._ " Adler said.

"Understood Adler, get a list of things ready for us, we'll do that Beacon." Drew said.

" _Acknowledged._ " Adler said.

"Layne, is there anywhere to land?" Drew asked.

"There's a cliff on the mountain but it doesn't have access to the caves that the energy is coming from." Layne answered from the cockpit.

"Alright, set us down there." Drew said. A few moments later, they all felt the Pelican land on the cliff.

" _I will be taking the Pelican into the low atmosphere, you will likely need quick extraction._ " Adler said.

"Thanks, Adler. Always watching out for us." Preston said.

" _Someone has to, Preston."_ Adler said to Preston. The back of the Pelican opens up, showing the terrain they just came from. In the distance, you could barely see the crash site since most of the forest changes from a pine to thick oak forest.

"Damn, no wonder no one saw that crash site." Dakota said.

"Adler, how high up are we?" Layne asked.

" _The mountain is 8,367 feet tall, the cliff we're on is around is about 1,000 feet up."_ Adler said. Looking down, the cliff face was mostly a straight shot down, although it does level off around 100 feet off the ground.

"Anyone get climbing gear?" Preston asked.

"I left mine at home." Dakota joked. It was no secret Dakota loved mountain climbing.

"So, free climb down then?" Layne asked.

"Sounds good. Just, no one fall." Drew said, preparing to get down the cliff.

About ten minutes later, and only one of the Spartans falling, they arrive at the bottom with no grimm anywhere.

"I don't like this, theres are no grimm hordes anywhere." Layne said.

"I know." Drew agreed, while in Arcadia, Drew had read some books are both grimm behavior and the various species. "There's no creeps, no nevermores, nothing."

"Creeps and nevermores?" Preston asked.

"Nevermores fly while creeps tunnel under you then pop up." Drew explained.

"Right, what're the chances we find both?" Preston asked. A very loud caw above them makes them look up, above them is a large grimm, bird thing.

"That's a nevermore, keep your mouth shut Preston." Drew said.

"It hasn't seen us yet." Dakota said as he's looking at it with his sniper rifle.

"Let's keep it that way. Adler, update our HUDs." Drew said. Adler then placed a waypoint showing an entrance point. "Danke (Thank you)."

" _Bitte_ (You're welcome)." Adler replied. After moving towards the waypoint, they stopped after spotting a few beowolves.

"We can't go around them," Layne said.

"Layne, Preston, take aim." Drew said. Both of them take with their SMGs, "Fire." Drew says causing them to fire since Preston's was suppressed, only Layne's made any amount of noise.

"I suggest we move now." Layne said.

"Agreed, let's move Delta." Drew said, causing them to rush into the cave.

"How far down did you say it was Adler?" Preston asked.

" _Half a click down, however it maybe in a large cavern_."

"Did you get any scans of the cave system?" Layne asked.

" _Negative, I'm sorry Layne,"_ Adler said.

"It's fine Adler. You did enough here, there's only so much a scanner can do." Layne said.

" _I thank you for your kind words."_ Adler said. " _I have also finished my report to Commander Arc."_

"What report?" Drew asked.

" _He had asked for our armor and weapons at earliest convenience."_ Alder stopped for a moment. _"Report sent"_

Meanwhile, in Fury, Jaune was teaching class when his tacpad went off, briefly looking down at it, he saw it's the report from Alder. 'Thank you, Adler.' He thought to himself.

Back with Delta, they had been moving for about ten minutes now. Preston and Layne were in the front with Drew in the middle and Dakota watching their rear.

"Anything on motion trackers?" Drew asked.

"Nothing." Preston said.

"Same here." Layne said.

"Dakota?" Drew asked.

"Same back here." Dakota replied.

"I thought we would've found, something by now." Preston said.

"I know, this isn't feeling right." Layne said. A few more moments pass.

"I've got movement ahead and a lot of it." Preston said.

"Got an opening ahead too." Layne said. Looking ahead, Drew could see the passage widening greatly, enough to allow a deathstalker to fit comfortably.

"I think we found the cavern." Drew said. Since Preston was slightly more ahead than Layne, he was the first to see in. The cavern was large, enough to house the same station that crashed in the valley.

"Holy shit." Preston said simply. The cavern was being held up by several, very large pillars that had bioluminescent plants on them, giving the entire cavern a light glow, enough for night vision to work properly. The bottom's shape was like an open aired mine, with levels going down.

But what was on the levels shocked them.

Spawning pools. Lots, and lots of spawning pools.

"Adler. Is this the place?" Drew asked, praying that this was it.

" _Affirmative, this the source._ "Adler confirmed.

"Drew, we need to leave, now." Layne said. Below them, they could large numbers of grimm moving about, likely going out.

"Agreed, let's get moving Delta." Drew said, causing the four Spartans to started moving very quickly. "Adler, get the Pelican landed, we're leaving now.

" _Understood._ " Adler said.

"Control, this is Delta, come in over." Drew said.

" _Go ahead Delta, what did you find?"_ Control asked.

"We've found a large number of grimm spawning pools, returning back." Drew said.

" _Copy that. We'll be waiting for debrief_ ing" Control said. In front of them, a wild Ursa appears. Since Drew was in the front, he activated his energy sword and sliced its head off.

"Let's keep moving Delta!" Drew yelled, making them move faster. A few minutes later, the team exited the cave with a large number of beowolves waiting for them. "Clear a landing pad!" Drew yelled as they engaged the grimm. Drew moved back a few feet to engage at range with Dakota while Preston and Layne got up close and personal.

" _Drew, I'm seeing a lot more grimm coming your way, I'm landing now!"_ Adler said. Above them, the Pelican began its landing sequence to land anywhere.

"Left! It's landing left!" Layne yelled. True to her word, the Pelican had landed next to them.

"Everyone on board now!" Drew yelled. The four of them sprint towards the landed Pelican with a ever growing grimm horde right on their tails. The last one on was Layne who fires a grenade behind her, blowing a small number of them. Mere moments after the explosion, Adler lifts the Pelican off the ground while Layne worked her way to the cockpit.

"Control, we're on our way back," Drew updates.

" _Understood, I have the base on lockdown, you may drag some unwanted guests."_ Control says.

Back at the cavern, large numbers of Grimm start coming out of the black pools while over watching them, some kind of jellyfish grimm was watching them all.

Back in Fury, Jaune was finishing up a class when his personal scroll goes off, "That'll be it for today, I hope you look forward to tomorrow." He says, allowing them to relax.

"Hello?" He asked.

" _We've got a problem."_ Drew said.

"What kind of problem?" Jaune asked, making sure to be quiet as to not attract attention.

" _We've found large numbers of grimm spawning pools, we're about to debrief the local commander."_ Drew answered.

"How large are we talking? I need numbers Drew." Jaune said.

"Mr. Arc?" Someone says, looking up, he sees Weiss. She had been focusing on stamina improvement and he was giving helpful tips to help her out.

"One minute Mrs. Schnee. I have to take this call." Jaune politely answered.

" _I'd say, maybe a thousand plus, assuming that there were, even more, pools that we didn't see. They turned the entire mountain into a spawning area. There had to have been tens of thousands, maybe more."_ Drew said.

For a moment, Jaune had to sit and think, it wasn't close to any major settlement, so it could be completely ignored, but the long term benefits of neutralizing them are tenfold.

"Lock down the base if isn't already, send me all helmet footage from everyone and I want to copy of that debriefing as soon as it's available." Jaune said.

" _Understood, I'll have Adler start right on it."_ Drew said, then hangs up. Turning his attention back to Weiss, Jaune speaks up.

"Yes, Mrs. Schnee?" He asked. She had heard everything but remained focused.

"I was wondering about some of the training, specifically the actual regime you've given us before we came here." Weiss said.

"Mainly the entire thing, how do you know this will work for us?" She asked with crossed arms.

"I don't." Jaune said confusing her. "Let me explain. The training specifically is a one size fits all, but it will be changed. It's an excellent starting point if someone excels in one place, they usually are falling in another. It's at this point that we start making adjustments." Jaune explained.

"I see," Weiss said, understanding his words.

"Is there, anything else?" Jaune asked.

"No, that's it, professor." Weiss said, then walking back to her team.

Next, to Jaune, his tac pad goes off, on it, the first of several files he knows he'll have to go through. This first one was the helmet feeds, slightly edited my Adler to improve audio quality but not much more.

Back with Delta, they had arrived at the command center after landing. Drew was going alone since he was sending the rest of Delta to help man the perimeter defenses. Inside the command center, the commander was around a table not dissimilar to holo-table, only without the holo displays. It was old school, paper maps and radios around him with several runners making their way around.

"Commander, I may not have the fancy equipment that you have, but Adler has been in constant contact, giving me a rough update on the situation," he started.

"But?" Drew asked.

"He didn't give me very many details, hence why I asked you to come. Now, numbers and type grimm?" He asked.

"Tens of thousands easily. We may have only seen a thousand or so, I'm sure many, many more were hiding in the caves. As for types, I can confirm beowolves, ursas, nevermores, creeps, goliaths, and likely Deathstalkers." Drew explained.

The commander thought for a moment, "Anything larger and more dangerous?"

"Not that we saw. We didn't exactly stick around to look around for long." Drew said.

"I figured as much. I'm thankful for as much as did. Now, I need your help to man the walls. It's gonna be a long shift tonight. With a horde disturbed they could start moving out of the caves," The commander started.

"And we're the closest thing to them," Drew finished.

"Exactly. I know you, Spartans, don't fall under my but rather the Prince's command." He says.

"We're here, we'll help. We may not be from Remnant, but we have a good idea of the risks of that horde, we'll do the best we can here. We may learn some tricks too." Drew said. The commander saluted Drew and Drew saluted back.

Back at the wall, Dakota was on a constructed watchtower on overwatch. He was using his thermal vision to watch over the area. It was around sundown when he finally spotted movement.

"Drew, I see shit moving." He said, taking aim with his sniper rifle.

" _Is something different or the usual shit?_ " Drew asked.

"Not normal, and a small amount of it. I'm seeing dozens, no, hundreds of things moving but I can't tell what they are." Dakota said.

" _Son of a bitch. Keep an eye on it. I'm on my way back."_ Drew said. Outside, the grimm were gathering, there was many more than what Dakota would see, but that place was not what they had in mind. They had a purpose in, something intelligent was guiding them. Delta and the base is not worth their time.

"Uh, Drew. They're not coming towards us." Dakota said.

" _Say again?"_ Drew asked.

"They're avoiding us." Dakota said with growing concern.

" _Grimm just don't avoid something."_ The base commander said.

"I'm aware. Could, something intelligent be guiding them?" Dakota asked.

" _As far as I'm aware."_ The base commander asked.

" _Is there a possibility?"_ Drew asked.

" _Possibly."_ The commander replied. " _Shall I inform Prince Jaune?"_ He asked.

" _Absolutely. This horde is moving somewhere, and we don't where that somewhere is."_ Drew said.

" _Agreed. I'll have aircraft watch them."_ The commander said.

" _Preston, Layne, get to the wall, we're taking no chances."_ Drew said.

" _Copy._ " " _Got it."_ Layne and Preston said respectively.

Back with Jaune, he was finishing up his dinner when he got another call. "Hello?"

" _This is base commander Roter Drache, we have a horde us, but it's not attacking us."_ Drache said. Jaune was surprised by what he had said.

"Say again, sounded like they weren't attacking you?" Jaune asked in disbelief.

" _I was speaking correctly, they're not attacking us."_ He paused for a moment. " _We're requesting guidance."_

"Standby. Let me think for a moment." Jaune said. "What have you already done?"

" _I'm having air recon follow them, we'll watch them from above. Watch where they go. Delta is manning the perimeter."_ Drache replied.

"Understood. Alert all commands you can, I'm returning to now." Jaune said.

" _Understood, I'll pass the word along."_ Drache said.

Jaune started moving towards Sages and began planning his next course of action. He was so lost in thoughts, he bumped into someone. Looking down, he sees Pyrrha firmly on her ass. "Apologies Mrs. Nikos." He says while helping her on her feet. She, however, looks concerned.

"Is, everything ok Professor?" She asked.

"No. We're returning to Vale now, pack your things." Jaune said, her face was changed from concern to pure shock.

"B-But, we don't leave-" She started.

"I'm aware Pyrrha. I'll be telling everyone soon." Jaune explained while cutting her off. She nods and hurries off to her team. A few minutes later, Jaune arrives at Sages' office. Inside, both she and the rest of the staff were having a get-together.

Upon entering, they all look at him. "Mr. Arc? What brings the sudden visit?" She asked.

"Care to join us?" Stummer asked.

"I'm afraid not. I'm taking my students back to Vale immediately." Jaune said, surprising everyone.

"Why the rush?" A male staff member asked.

"You'll be among to hear this, so I'll keep it brief. A special operations team was investigating an anomaly, energy in nature. What they found was a large collection of grimm spawning pools. And a horde has recently left the area. Normally, this wouldn't be a big of an issue, but there's a base we control in the area, that grimm ignored it completely." Jaune explained.

"Impossible! Grimm just doesn't ignore something." Sages said.

"Well, they did. Air recon is watching them for now, but I'm returning to Vale to inform the huntsman guild there, both Vale and Arcadia are at risk." Jaune said.

"I understand. I'll have an airship prepared immediately." Sages said.

"Thank you, Sages." Jaune said before leaving the room.

About twenty minutes later, the Beacon students had gathered. Team JNPR was informed by the 'P' in their team about leaving, and they and informed everyone else.

"Why has the professor called us here so late?" Cardin asked impatiently.

"I'll tell you why." Jaune said, surprising nearly everyone. "I've called you here, because, no shit. Long story, there's a grimm horde on the move and completely ignored a base in the area, and I know how strange that is and why we must return immediately." He said, shocking everyone.

"But, grimm hordes don't just ignore something on a whim." Weiss said, shock covering her face.

"I'm aware of this Mrs. Schnee, but we are taking no chances with this. The size is in the thousands, easily. And we've found the source as well." Jaune said.

"Spawning pools?!" Yang yelled.

"Yes, spawning pools Yang." Jaune said. His students learned very quickly that if he addressed you by your first name, it was serious. "We will deal with in time, but we must plan this out first, we can't charge in blindly." Jaune explained calmly.

"Well, what are we waiting for then?" Cardin asked.

"Nothing, get onboard. I'll inform Ozpin while en route." Jaune said, indicating to the landed airship.

Meanwhile, back at the Arcadian Base in the middle of Grimm territory, Delta was doing some Spartan level brainstorming.

"So, any ideas?" Drew asked.

"Uh, what if we made mountain disappear?" Preston asked.

"How would we," Layne said while indicating to the rest of the team, "gonna make a mountain disappear?" She asked.

"Well, we do have a nuke. . ." Drew thought out loud.

" _If are going to consider this, Commander Arc must be informed as he is the only one who has the authority to order the use of a nuclear device."_ Adler chimed in.

"Good point, but a nuke would very easily remove the problem," Preston said.

"And as well as everything within a mile radius." Drew added.

"So, we're doing it then?" Dakota asked.

"Fuck yes." The rest of Delta said at once.


	14. Returned To Beacon

Ok, so I'm back to this, yay? I'm also tired as fuck right now (or at least me starting this).

The Critic (Chapter 4): *Sees length of review* Oh boy, I'm in for a good read. *A few minutes later* Ok, I've got. 1. Maybe. 2. Why not? I will answer that later. 3. No, he can, he is giving enough to get started. He's very much aware of ONI, although, this isn't UNSC territory so he could say just about anything. Just saying. 4. He says classified to make her think he's from Atlas. 5. Bullshit, I do. 6. Yes. 7. I never said they had their masks on. 8. Point 1: they recognized him because of his family's features that he shared. Point 2: That's the fun of this story. Point 3: Examine Point 1. 9. He has no method of long range contact with the UNSC. If I was in his situation, my course of action would be to see if the planet has those capabilities.

The Critic (Chapter 5): No, fuck off. Have you read up to chapter 12? Just curious.

Let's get going. Also a disclaimer: Delta's armor list ahead, you don't like lists, oh well.

-Airspace, Sanus, Planet Remnant-

Inside a large bullhead, Jaune Arc was overlooking his students. Most had fallen asleep within the first ten to twenty minutes of the flight. All except him and Pyrrha.

"Can't sleep?" He asked quietly.

"I'm not good at sleeping on flights like this." She explained.

"Have a lot on your mind?" He asked, sitting down across from her.

"I'm worried is all, about the horde." She said.

"Don't be. Let people like me and Ozpin worry about it. We're the ones working behind the scenes on this." Jaune said, trying to ease her worries. It seemed to work as she slowly started to doze off after that, allowing Jaune to pull out his tac pad. As much as he trusted the CCT network, he would never trust it with UNSC files. Both him and Adler had already breached the network several times and created back doors. Granted they had far more advanced cyber warfare equipment and abilities, but that's beside the point. UNSC communication devices work outside of their networks up to 350 miles for most things.

' _Commander Arc, this is the armor sets for the members of Delta, including myself, that have requested. After this will be a full debriefing of the events at Crash Site Bravo (What I'm calling the Orbital Resupply and Refit station that crashed). Also, the armor is labeled as what the UNSC and ONI classified it as'_ -Adler.

'AIs are fast, forgot that. But thank you, Adler.' Jaune thought. Looking down, he saw the first name.

MIL A.I. 4301, Adler (Avatar Only)

Helmet: ODST (Up Armored/Command Network Module)

Left Shoulder: JFO

Right Shoulder: Up Armored/Multi-threat

Chest: Up Armored/ODST

Wrist: Default MK 5.

"Utility: Default MK 5

Visor Color: Gold

Knee Guards: FJ/Para

'Holy shit. I don't recognize a single fucking one of these things.' Jaune thought to himself.

Drew D-07 (Black/Blue Color Layout):

Helmet: Mark V [B] (Up Armored/Hardened Uplink Module with blue stripe in the middle of the helmet)

Left Shoulder: Gungnir

Right Shoulder: Security

Chest: Up Armored/Counterassault

Wrist: Tacpad

Utility: Tactical/Trauma Kit

Visor: Midnight

Knee Guard: FJ/PARA

Preston D-29 (Black/Red Color Layout):

Helmet: EVA (Blurry Face has been carved on on the right side of the helmet without causing line of sight issues)

Left Shoulder: Up Armored/Multi-Threat

Right Shoulder: CQC

Chest: HP/HALO

Wrist: Tactical/UGPS

Utility: Up Armored/NXRA

Visor: Midnight.

Knee Guards: Grenadier

Dakota D-08 (Black/Brown color layout)

Helmet: Operator (CNM)

Left Shoulder: Sniper

Right Shoulder: Recon

Chest: Tactical/LRP

Wrist: Up Armored/Bracer

Utility: Up Armored/Chobham

Visor: Midnight

Knee Guards: Gungnir

Layne D-14 (Black/Pink Color Layout)

Helmet: CQC (Up Armored/Hardened Uplink Module)

Left Shoulder: Hazop

Right Shoulder: FJ/PARA

Chest: HP/HALO

Wrist: Up Armored/Buckler

Utility: Tactical/Hard Case

Visor: Midnight

Knee Guards: Default MK V

'Holy shit, that was a lot' Jaune thought to himself. Just then another message comes through.

' _We have a solution_ ' Adler 'said' cryptically. Jaune replies.

'Solution to what exactly?' He asked.

' _To the large grimm spawning pools._ ' Adler said back.

'How so?' Jaune asked back.

' _The UNSC Eagle's Talon had two Shiva Class Nuclear Warheads that Delta still has in their possession. They could act as a strike team to insert the nuke inside_ ' Adler explained.

'Maintain a standby with the nuke, I will ask Ozpin about it and, hopefully, get their opinions on this.' Jaune sent.

" _Understood Commander._ ' Adler replied before going silent. Jaune then laid his head back on the seat before getting some shut eye himself.

Meanwhile, back in Vale, Torchwick was with two of his, associates, along with his 'friend'. "So let me guess, she sent you here, didn't she?"

"Yes, she wants the Prince." The female said.

"Ok, why him though?" Torchwick asked.

"She didn't say why, just that she was interested in him." The female said again. Looking over at his friend, she simply shrugged her shoulders before he turned back to them.

"Ok, then how are we supposed to capture him then?" Torchwick asked. He really didn't want to deal with this right now. Dust, he could handle, but not a high profile kidnapping.

"I think Cinder can get close though," The female started, causing Roman to throw his cane in the air in frustration.

"Then why the hell are you telling me this then?" He asked these two were really getting on his nerves. "In case you hadn't noticed, my ass has been on the line for the last three months, now with "Little Red" blowing me over a few weeks ago. So, I'll ask again, you're telling me this why again?" He said much more frustrated than before. The other person of the two finally spoke up.

"She just told us to tell you." He said. Torchwick's response was to slap him with his cane. "Oww," He said on the ground in pain.

"Mercury, please stop talking." The female said.

"Yes, please," Torchwick said before getting a bottle of something and drinking some. "So once again, why are you telling me this? It sounds like she already has a plan for it." He asked 'nicely' this time.

"I couldn't tell why she told us to inform you about this, I only know about as much as you do." She replied.

"Right, she loves her secrets." Torchwick thought out loud.

A few hours later, the sun was just rising over the ocean to the west of Vale, an airship was starting to land at one of Beacon's landing pads. The flight was finally over and everyone was allowed to disembark after the long flight from Arcadia. Being the last one out Jaune could see that his students were still exhausted from the last few days, and as fortune would have it, it is the weekend.

"I don't need to be the one to tell you this, but it's Saturday." Jaune said. A myriad of yays and other noises were given out by the students. Jaune's first move was to head back to his office to relax and drink some coffee. However, waiting for him was Raven of all people.

"What the fuck are you doing in here?" Jaune asked bluntly.

"Waiting for you Captain Obvious." Raven replied dryly.

"Right, but why though?" Jaune asked.

"I need to talk to you about what you found out there." Raven said, sitting down on his couch.

"Well, what do you want to know?" Jaune asked, starting a pot of coffee.

"Nothing, just that you found something." Raven said.

"Well, we found a door in the cliffside, but that's not what you're worried about. We found that grimm had hollowed out a small mountain and are using it as a spawning area." Jaune said. Raven, however, was indifferent to this revelation.

"And how many grimm?" She asked.

"An absolute shit ton." Jaune said, before pausing, "Maybe three shit tons." Jaune said.

"All that and a door?" Raven asked.

"Yes smart ass, a door. And a downed UNSC station." Jaune said.

"Did you at least open the door before you came here?" She asked.

"No, if I did I would still be there, not back here." Jaune said.

"So, you didn't open the door." Raven said.

"Do I sound like a broken record? The door is still closed." Jaune said unamused.

"Did you even attempt to open it?" She asked.

"It's unopenable, nothing short of blowing apart everything around it could open it, and even then, I highly doubt that will work." Jaune said. He grabbed a thermos for his coffee. "Damn thing is harder than Covenant ship armor."

"And that is supposed to mean what to me exactly?" Raven asked.

"Alright smart ass, do you have a smart ass comment for everything I say?" Jaune asked her.

"Yes." She said bluntly.

"Right. Anyway, it won't open, at least by us." Jaune said, filling his thermos.

"So what can open it then?" She asked.

"Do I look like fucking the Eye of Sauron?" Jaune asked.

"What?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Nothing, but if I knew that, don't you think I'd be doing something about it?" Jaune asked.

"Do you want my honest answer?" Raven asked.

"That would be wonderful." Jaune said sarcastically.

"I think you wouldn't be. You would be having someone else do it for you." She said.

"Well, I may teach here, but I can tell it to go fuck off if need be. It's just nothing that important has come up, yet." Jaune said. "I'm not Ozpin."

She raised an eyebrow at his last comment, "Do you have something against Ozpin?"

"Just a little, the Spartan in me is telling me that if there is a problem, and there is, to hunt it down and make it not a problem anymore. Ozpin just wants to sit on his ass about it." Jaune said.

"And the other side?" She asked.

"The other side of me can appreciate a good fashioned trap." Jaune said.

"And what's the bait?" Raven asked.

"Beacon." Jaune said, surprising Raven.

"That's a dangerous move Jaune, you could get a lot of flak for simply thinking that." Raven said with narrowed eyes.

"Spartans were created to get results. If we can't go to them, we make them come to us. One way or the other, someone is gonna die." Jaune said.

"Maybe, it would be a good way of cutting the wheat from the chaff." Raven said.

"Hmmmmmmm, you and Halsey could share some thoughts." Jaune thought out loud.

"When you said created, how much of you is real?" Raven asked.

"Let's not go there, please. But seriously, there is a grimm horde on the move, we need to be ready." Jaune said.

"You didn't mention a grimm horde." Raven said.

"One, I just did. Two, you didn't ask." Jaune said.

"Anything else that you found?" Raven asked, annoyed more than she was a minute ago.

"A solution to one of the problems." Jaune answered.

"And that solution is?" Raven asked. Before Jaune could answer, someone opens the door and walks in.

"Ahh shit, I thought I was gonna be the first here." Qrow said.

"Qrow, how nice of you to join us." Jaune said.

"Hello, little brother." Raven said.

"Rae, Jaune. So what's this I was hearing?" Qrow asked.

"Don't call me Rae." Raven said dangerously.

"A solution to the problem we found in the wildlands, the grimm spawning pools we found." Jaune said.

"Ahh and this solution is?" Qrow asked.

"Purification by nuclear fire." Jaune said.

"What the hell is nuclear?" Qrow asked.

"The UNSC developed weapons that, if enough was used, could wipe a planet clean of life." Jaune said, the Branwen twins, however, were not impressed.

"That could be said with any weapon Jaune." Raven said.

"I don't think you quite understand just how powerful these weapons are." Jaune said, turning to her. "There's one thing I will fight tooth and nail to keep everyone from getting, and that is nuclear weapons. And did I mention we have two of these?" Jaune asked.

"Ok, but how are we supposed to get them inside, there will be grimm everywhere," Qrow said.

"Myself and Delta team will walk the nuke in, then haul ass out and hope we don't get caught in the blast." Jaune said.

"That's it? Hope and pray? Sounds childish and risky." Qrow said unamused.

"I will never trust a huntsman with that weapon, much less anyone from this planet. I don't even trust Ozpin with their existence, but he knows anyway." Jaune said.

"Then why are you telling us this then?" Raven asked.

"Because I don't think you two will screw me over because of it. You led a clan of bandits around Mistral and I don't even know where you are most of the time." Jaune said to Raven and Qrow.

"Basically, we aren't around to fuck you over." Qrow said bluntly.

"To put it bluntly, yes. That's exactly why." Jaune said.

"What about this 'Covenant' I've heard you talk about?" Raven asked.

"Me and my fellow Spartans will settle a score with them if they arrive. If what one of them says is true, then they call us Demons. And fear us." Jaune said.

"Fear is a powerful weapon if used correctly." Raven said.

"Or, we show them why we should be feared." Jaune said.

"Damn, when did you become ruthless?" Qrow asked, before drinking from his flask.

"We were trained to be ruthless Qrow, I've just kept mine in check." Jaune said, drinking from his thermos.

"Moving back to your solution, what will happen if they don't agree to it?" Raven asked.

"Then we go AWOL, go through with it anyway." Jaune said.

"So you're not giving anyone an option then, are you?" Qrow asked.

"No. If they're as dangerous as you say they are, then the spawning pools must be removed completely, hence the nuclear fire." Jaune said.

"I'm glad to see you're not contempt to play by everyone else's rules." Raven said.

"If we play by their rules, how are we expected to win?" Jaune said. "This is not a war of chess we're a part of, this is a war of attrition. And we're losing." Jaune said.

"Glad to see you see past what Ozpin wants you to see." Raven said.

"Is that it then?" Qrow asked.

"Yeah, that's about it. Also, shouldn't you be in Mistral by now?" Jaune asked.

"No. Who told you that?" Qrow asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No one, just curious." Jaune said.

"One more thing Jaune, you have a lot of paperwork to do." Raven said while pointing at Jaune's desk.

"Shit." Jaune said quietly, as he was looking at the paperwork.

A few hours later, Jaune arrived at the Beacon tower, with another thermos of coffee with him. In the tower, Ozpin and Summer were already there with a hologram of Ironwood. "Gentlemen, Summer." He said, getting their attention.

"Welcome back Jaune!" Summer said happily.

" _Since you're here, I was hoping you could fill in the blanks._ " Ironwood said.

"What blanks?" Jaune asked.

"Any solutions to this problem." Ozpin said.

"Just one. We use one of our nuclear weapons to remove the entire area the spawning pools are in, including the mountain." Jaune said. Ozpin and Summer were surprised while Ironwood was in thought.

"Is that wise Mr. Arc?" Ozpin asked.

"You asked for my solution, that is my solution." Jaune said.

" _That's a very hard solution."_ Ironwood said.

"Well, I'm going through with it either way. You guys could go with, or you can stay here on your asses." Jaune said.

"Is there a better option?" Summer asked.

"Unless you've got a better one, then I'm all ears for it." Jaune said. No one said anything.

"What can we do to help?" Summer asked.

"Right now, not a whole lot. Myself and the other Spartans can walk it in. Then haul ass out." Jaune said.

" _That's it? Just 'walk it in'? It'll be a death sentence."_ Ironwood objected.

"And it's a death sentence to leave them intact." Ozpin said. "But are there other ways to do this Jaune?" He asked. Jaune shook his head.

"No. I don't trust anyone else with those weapons, no one native to this planet knows how to use them." Jaune said.

" _But I'm sure-"_ Ironwood started, but was cut off.

"Out of the question General. Theres are two peopleknow that know how to activate the nukes." Jaune said.

" _And that is?"_ Ironwood asked.

"Why would I tell you that?" Jaune asked.

"He's got a point there James." Summer said, defending Jaune.

"Thank you, Summer." Jaune said.

"Is there more to this plan?" Ozpin asked.

"Not much more to that, more like, on-the-spot planning." Jaune said.

"Very well." Ozpin said, disappointed, but glad to have something.

"Jaune, could we speak alone about something?" Summer asked

"Sure." Jaune said. Allowing Summer to leave before he follows. Downstairs, Jaune follows her into an empty classroom. "So, what is this about Summer?" He asked.

"It's about the trait I and my daughter share: our silver eyes." Summer says. Jaune however, became confused.

"You mentioned this before I started teaching, why is this so important?" Jaune asked.

"We were created by the god of light who created us after the god of darkness created the grimm, he created us to be the first of warriors for humanity, and over the centuries we dwindled away, especially after people started unlocking their auras. As far as I know, me and Ruby are the last of our kind." Summer explained.

"You're telling me this, why?" Jaune asked, becoming more and more confused.

"The people we're fighting this war with, they know of my existence, but not Ruby's. I'm asking you to help to watch her." She asked.

"Why? Why ask me this? What makes you think I can do this?" He asked, setting his coffee down.

"Because if anything you say is true, and not a work of fiction you created as a lie," Summer started, annoying Jaune, "Then you're resourceful enough to do so. I'm not telling you to do it, I'm asking you. Tai and Yang think they can always watch her, me and Raven know we can't." Summer explained.

"Alright, I'll go along with this Summer, but I don't like this. Not one bit." Jaune said.

"I know. And I know you don't trust Ozpin fully." Summer said.

"Not trusting is an understatement Summer. If you heard the conversation with Raven, you would not look at me the same." Jaune said.

Summer looked down in thought for a few moments, then sighed. "I know. That's also why I'm asking for your help. You have a different mindset, the mindset of someone who's not afraid of the unknown." Summer started.

"And not afraid to get his hands dirty in the process." Jaune finished. "I can see why you ask of this." Jaune said before he was consumed in thought.

"What's wrong?"

Jaune exhaled slowly, "It's about my family. A bunch of things actually. The older members of my family want me to continue the bloodline, but augments, null my sex drive completely. Among other things. And despite what you may think, it's hard for me to trust others. The people I remotely trust is the other Spartans that landed here. I've just a lot on my mind." Jaune started. Summer's response was to put a hand on his shoulder.

"If you need someone to talk to about this, please come to me. I can try and help." Summer said with a soft smile. Jaune looks down at her, sharing a small smile.

Also, to that person that suggested a Jaune Pyrrha and Team RWBY, I'm assuming that's what you're implying, no. Drew and I have been talking about what ships could be in the story. The problem with a student shipped with Jaune is it's, technically a taboo.

I'm not entirely against it… Fuckin kink shame me! I dare ya!

God dammit Drew.

Lol.


	15. Nuclear Launch Detected

"So, are we really going through with the nuke plan?" Dakota asked. It was currently midday and the commander had gone back to Beacon the night prior. In that short period of time, Drew had come up with the plan for using the nuke, a solid plan to get behind. What Dakota couldn't get the behind however, was the idea of using the nuke as a football.

Yup. Preston and Drew were using the nuclear bomb as a football. "Also, why are you using the nuke as a football?" He asked.

"One, it's not armed. This is just the shell. Two, we're bored." Preston replied.

"You do realize Layne will fuck you two up for this, right?" Dakota asked.

"Yes. I fucking will." A female voice said from behind Dakota, causing him to freeze up. The other two threw the 'football' one more time before they noticed her.

"Uhh, IT WAS DREW'S IDEA!" Preston said, throwing it back to Drew and running off.

"CUNT!" Drew yelled back to Preston. He then feels a hand on his shoulder.

"Alright Drew, time for an ass beating." Layne said dangerously.

"Dakota?" Drew asked.

"Yes?" He answered quietly.

"Hold the nuke for me." Drew said, holding it out with one hand. Dakota slowly gets up, takes the nuke, then hides.

While Drew was getting his ass kicked, Team RWBY was back in their dorm. The last few hours had been somewhat, quiet. It was mostly split between the current rumors going around Beacon and Delta.

"I'm telling you guys, I think there's something wrong with them." Weiss said, referring to Delta.

"Yeah, they look shady, but what's wrong about that?" Yang asked.

"I'm going to agree with Weiss on this one, there's something, off, about those four." Blake said.

"But, they're like Professor Arc, so they have to be good, right?" Ruby asked.

"Hmm, I don't think 'good' is the term I would put with them, they're off but nothing serious." Yang said, disagreeing with her cousin.

"Ok. What's wrong with them then?" Ruby asked.

"They were robotic, too much to be considered human." Weiss said.

"More like too fluid. And, I don't like the fact they seem like they could and would kill on dime without a second thought." Blake said.

"That could be said about anyone in a lot of armor." Yang said.

"Still, I don't trust them." Blake said.

"Trust? I don't want to be anywhere near them! I would like to stay as far away from them as possible." Weiss said with crossed arms.

"Ok, but would you rather them be on our side?" Ruby asked.

"Ruby, not everything is as clear as black and white. I think they're more grey than either or." Blake said.

"I think we should just wait and see what happens." Yang said, adding her voice about the conversation.

"Ok, what about the fact the professor was able to leave us on the island over night while he was all cushy." Weiss said.

"I think out of all of us, you had the cushiest life." Yang said quietly, but loud enough.

"We can ask him about that later Weiss. Or he'll clarify it later." Blake said in defense of the professor.

"He'd better" Weiss said quietly.

"Stop being a sourpuss Weiss!" Ruby called from her top bunk.

"You're just upset he didn't take you with him?" Yang teased Weiss.

"No! I mean yes! I mean- YANG XIAO LONG!" Weiss yelled at Yang, with Blake and Ruby laughing at her expense.

"Come on Weiss, you'd be in a real palace, with a real prince, who just so happened to be our teacher." Yang said suggestively.

"Yang, that is wrong." Weiss said, trying not to go red at her suggestion. Blake was also trying not to get red at Yang's suggestion. Ruby simply tilted her head to the side, missing what Yang implied.

"You would enjoy it." Yang said quietly.

"Yang, please stop." Blake said, not wanting to go full red.

"Yes please." Weiss said.

"I don't get it." Ruby said, still not getting the subject matter.

"Come on Weiss, just think about." Yang said in a lower voice.

"YANG!" Team JNPR heard across the hall. They had spent most of the day unpacking then relaxing, in that order. Until Weiss yelled.

"I think she did an oops." Nora said, while jumping on the bed.

"I think so too," Jean said. "And indirectly scared the entire hall."

"I wonder what she said." Pyrrha said.

"Do you really want to know?" Ren asked from his bed. Pyrrha stopped and thought for a few seconds.

"Fair point." She said, before continuing to unpack.

Back with Delta, Dakota slowly peeked his head around the corner to see Drew huddled, clutching his lower abdomen, right in the middle of the floor. Layne was standing above him triumphantly. Layne's head slowly turned towards Dakota.

"If you want to not get the shit beaten out of you, I _strongly_ suggest you just hand me the nuke." Layne said in a menacing tone.

Dakota audibly gulped and simply nodded, slowly walking towards her and handing her the nuke.

"See, that wasn't so hard now was it?" Layne asked. "Now find Preston. I need to have, a word with him."

Back at Beacon, Jaune had since returned to his office area and sent someone a message. ' _Standby with nuke. I will be heading your way shortly.'_ He messaged.

' _Are you joining us commander?'_ Adler asked.

'Yes.' He replied shortly.

' _Understood.'_

"Now to figure out how I leave quietly." Jaune thought outloud. He could just leave on a bullhead or hell, call a pelican to him and fly with that. But, people would notice that, nevermind that one of the professors just dropped off the map without warning. No, subtlety is the key here.

"Leaving so soon?" A female voice asked from behind. Turning around, he sees Raven.

"I thought your ass would've been gone by now." He said.

"I was, but a little Raven overheard you talk with Ozpin." She said.

"Right. Awfully convenient for you to show up, what's the catch Raven?" He asked. She just grinned.

"No catch. For now." She replied.

"Right. For now." Jaune said. But, he still had time to leave.

"Think about it. I'll be around." She said, before turning into a Raven and leaving.

"What's your play Raven?" He asked quietly. Deciding not to sit on his ass, he got up and started preparing for his trip. Armor, and everything.

'Wait. Shit.' He thought, realizing that Beacon did not have an armor rack to put his armor on. He was taken out of his thoughts by a knock on his door.

"It's open." He called. He was greeted by a nervous looking Pyrrha. "Mrs. Nikos. Everything alright?" He asked.

"Y-Yes. I just heard you talking with someone in here. I was making sure everything was alright." She said, still nervous as all hell.

"I am fine Pyrrha. But, you can help me with something." He said, surprising her.

"With what?" She asked.

"Remember when I asked you to help me remove my armor?" He asked, she nodded. "I need you to put it back on." She was now wided eyed.

"But why?" She asked.

"I'm just gonna do some hunting in the Emerald Forest tonight. Nothing major." He said, trying to buy it off.

"Ok. Where is your armor?" She asked.

"I need to retrieve it. Just take a seat on the couch and wait till I come back." He said.

A few minutes later, he returns to his office with his armor to see Pyrrha looking out the window.

"Are you ready?" He asked. She clearly didn't hear him enter the room since she jumped slightly.

"Yes." She said before getting up. **(I'm lazy and don't want to type this out)**. About ten minutes later, Jaune was fully suited and ready for a fight. "I forgot how menacing you look in your armor." She said. He chuckled at her comment.

"Good. It was made to intimidate." Jaune said while looking down into his helmet. "I'm leaving immediately. Tell everyone to wish me a good hunt." He said leaving the room. While enroute to his room, he hears her leave his office. In his bedroom, he had his standard assortment of weapons he brought with him from the war.

However, he had added some bits. A brass knuckle type add on to his armor that could channel his aura, increasing their power. He also had updated his neural maps to include all active and former settlements, mines, and roadways that was recorded in that Acadian archives that would soon double check with Oobleck. After checking and loading all his gear, he leaves his bedroom to see Ozpin and Glynda about to enter his room. Both were surprised to see the Spartan in full armor already.

"What are you doing Jaune?" Ozpin asked.

"Going through with the plan I presented to you, Summer, and Ironwood this morning." Jaune said, confusing Glynda.

"What plan are you referring to?" Glynda asked both men.

"I'm moving on my own to deal with the spawning pools. I told them they could either stay here or come with me." Jaune said, moving past them.

"And I wasn't told about this?" Glynda said, glaring at Ozpin and Jaune.

"In my defense, I figured Ozpin or Summer would've told you about it." Jaune said, putting in hands up in defense.

"And I would've told you once we found him." Ozpin said, now knowing he was in deep shit.

"And how did you plan on getting there?" She asked Jaune.

"That would've been my doing." Raven said from behind Ozpin and Glynda. "Are you ready?" She asked

"Do I look ready?" Jaune asked. Raven then opens a portal to the crash site.

"How will we know if you've succeeded?" Glynda asked, causing Jaune to laugh.

"Trust me Glynda, you'll know if we succeed." Jaune said walking through the portal. When he and Raven arrived, they find Drew on the ground holding his abdomen, Dakota holding the nuke while cradled in a ball, and Layne about to kill Preston. "What are you idiots doing?" He asked, getting their attention.

Layne looked back at Jaune and said, "Hold dip shit number two down while I castrate him."

"Why are you trying castrate him again?" Jaune asked, wanting to facepalm, but there's a helmet in the way.

"Don't… Do… It…" Drew managed to groan out.

"They used the nuke as a football." Dakota said, having somewhat collected himself. "Also, can you take this thing away from me?"

"Sure." Jaune said, holding a hand out before turning to the other three members of Delta. "Now then, WHY THE FUCK WERE YOU USING THE NUKE AS A FOOTBALL!?" Jaune yelled.

"Uhhh…" Drew groaned.

"I have no idea." Layne said, holding Preston in a headlock.

"Is this what you have to deal with?" Raven asked, unimpressed by the IIIs.

"As of now, yes. What am I gonna do with you two idiots?" Jaune asked.

"You could leave them in my 'care'." Layne said.

"Hmmm. Tempting, but we've a mountain to nuke." Jaune said.

"Oh really?" Dakota said.

"Yes. Get your shit together Delta, we're moving out within the hour." Jaune said.

"Have fun with these children." Raven whispered to Jaune.

"I'm gonna fucking need it." Jaune whispered back.

"No fair, Preston didn't, hurt..." Drew groaned out.

"Fair point. Layne, hold him for me." Jaune said.

"Wait, what are you gonna do?" Preston asked. Stepping back, he then runs towards Preston, then kicks him in the balls, sending him about ten feet backwards. "Problem solved."

"BITCH!" Preston yelled out after he landed.

About an hour later, the five Spartans regrouped around the landed Pelicans. They had a small table with the nuke on it and their helmets in their hands.

"So, what's the plan?" Drew asked.

"Layne's gonna fly us out to the mountain, we'll run down of the sides to entry point you located on previous trip there. From there, we'll walk the nuke to the central chamber. Before he throw it in, we'll set a timer for ten minutes, so we won't have any room for any fuck ups here. Any questions?" Jaune asked.

"Who's gonna fly the pelican out?" Layne asked.

"Adler will. I won't risk him being caught in the EMP blast. Adler, I want you to fully transfer yourself to the pelican, if possible. If we don't have time for a pelican evac, we'll sprint out of the blast radius." Jaune said.

"So Layne will arm the nuke and toss it in while the rest of us secure an escape route." Drew said.

"Don't throw it in until we find an exit, I don't want to be trapped down there with a live nuke. Once we find exit, arm the nuke and throw, then haul ass out. Destroy everything in your path." Jaune said.

"Who's gonna be the pathfinder?" Preston asked.

"All of us except Drew. I want Drew with Layne. Any further questions?" Jaune asked.

"What about the local humans?" Preston asked.

"We won't risk our asses if they get into the blast radius, same with any faunus. As for the political issues that _will_ arise from this, that'll be my problem." Jaune said.

"You expected political problems?" Layne asked.

"Absolutely. We are about to erase a mountain out of existence." Jaune said.

"And what about me?" Raven said from behind Jaune.

"You will stay here. I need someone to keep this area secure from any unforeseen problems." Jaune said.

"I'm not someone you can just order around." Raven said

"Then don't speak up next time." Jaune said, turning back to the other Spartans. "Anything else?"

"Any intel on the grimm?" Preston asked

"None. We'll deal with them as we find them. Due to the shortness of this operation, I haven't been able to check up on the various types of grimm, and these tunnels we're entering is their home turf. Let's do our best to fuck them up then." Jaune said.

"Let's go nuke a mountain!" Drew said.

"Let's do it." Jaune said, putting on his helmet while climbing into the pelican followed by the rest of Delta. Inside the cockpit, Jaune was in the copilot's seat behind Layne.

"You think ten minutes is enough time?" He asked.

"Should be. As long as nothing surprises us." She replied.

"Then let's keep it that way." Jaune said. Ahead of them, the mountain was barren, since the extreme amount of grimm simply trampled all the vegetation around it down, including the trees. If you looked hard enough, you could see the lone beowolf or ursa walking around the mountain, with even more inside. Getting up from his seat, Jaune walks back to the passenger cabin.

"So, we're gonna be jumping down right?" Drew asked.

"Yup." Jaune said.

"So who was the evil looking chick we left back at base?" Preston asked.

"Raven Branwen, huntress." Jaune said.

"Shit man. How the fuck did you meet her?" Drew asked.

"She was gonna be the person who was gonna teach me how fight with a sword. That pretty quickly went to hell." Jaune said.

"Yeah, I can see how." Drew said sarcastically.

"Opening rear bay!" Layne called out from the cockpit. As the rear bay of the pelican opens, they all could see the surrounding area around the base. Feeling the pelican halt for a moment, they all hear Layne leave the cockpit, then retrieve the nuke.

"You all ready?" Jaune asked.

"Let's do this." Drew said back, being the first out of the pelican. Quickly being followed by Jaune and rest of Delta. Quickly reaching the ground, they run down the mountain until they reach the place that Delta entered the mountain.

"Adler, take the pelican into into a low orbit around the mountain, maintain a three kilometer distance from it." Jaune said.

" _Copy that._ " Adler replied. The five then enter the mountain with Drew and Preston at the front first. Dakota was watching their rear while Layne and Jaune was somewhere in the middle.

"HOLY SHIT!" Drew and Preston screamed out as the ground under them gave way, causing them to fall about a hundred meters. Jaune narrowly avoided falling in, only being saved by his combat instincts telling him to roll forward.

"You two alright?" Jaune asked, turning back to look down the hole.

" _Yeah, we're good. Just fell a good hundred meters or so."_ Drew said.

"Copy that, find a way out from your location. We'll continue on with our original path." Jaune said.

"Any idea where to go now?" Layne asked. Jaune looked back down their original path, it had caved in just enough to be impassable.

"I've got another tunnel over here." Dakota called out. "It must've been opened by the collapse" As soon as he said that, several beowolves charged them.

"I think we found the grimm." Layne said as they quickly killed the grimm.

"Agreed. Let's get moving." Jaune said, taking the lead.

By moving forward, they continued to be lead through a labyrinth of tunnels that everyone thought was leading them in circles with plenty of grimm along the way.

"Any progress anyone?" Jaune asked.

"Negative" Layne said, even though Jaune knew her answer.

" _Same down here._ " Drew said.

"There has to a better way to do this." Jaune thought outloud.

" _Well, we could trying following a group of grimm around._ " Drew said.

" _Assuming they see us first."_ Preston added.

"I agree with Preston, the grimm are most likely looking for us down here." Jaune said before thinking for a moment. "Did any of you get a general area under sea level before you left?"

"I think our helmets do it automatically anyways. Why?" Layne asked.

"If we know how deep it is, then we can go down to it's level then follow the tunnels around until we find it." Jaune said.

" _That, actually might work. Hold on a sec, I'll find it."_ Drew said.

"Alright then, everyone hold position." Jaune said. About a minute later, Drew responded back.

" _Got it, it's about seven meters below sea level, at least the area we found."_ Drew said.

"Then that's our goal, get to that level Drew." Jaune said.

"You do realize this will take a while right?" Layne said.

"Then let's get it right the first time then." Jaune said.

After about an hour, they were at seven meters below sea level when Dakota spoke up. "When was the last time anyone did something like this?"

"I believe it was somewhere in Mistral when they tried to colonize an area of land. They only had about ten pools to clear, but they lost several hundred hunters and many more people. Even then, they didn't get them all. Let's not fail here." Jaune said.

" _I bet they didn't have any nukes either!_ " Drew added in.

"Yeah, they didn't." Jaune said. A few moments later, they arrived at the central chamber. "Drew, we found it, zero in on our location." Jaune said.

"Got it." Drew said. "We're popping a fare on our location." He said just before a green flare marked their area.

"We're about twenty meters to your right, I'm turning on a flashlight." Jaune said, turning on his helmet mounted flashlights.

" _Oh hi there. We'll climb over to you."_ Drew said.

Unseen to the five Spartans the same jellyfish like creature was observing them. At some other location, a woman with pale skin and red eyes was watching them through a similar creature. "So, they haven't learned their lesson the first time. Destroy them." She said into the creature.

Back at the mountain, the five Spartans just reunionited when the entire cavern started glowing with eyes of grimm creatures.

"Please tell me we have a better plan on a way out." Preston said, shocked by the large number of grimm. Then the mass started moving towards them.

"Fuck the last plan! Set a timer for thirty minutes and let's get the hell out!" Jaune yelled.

"No need to tell me twice." Layne said as she armed the nuke, before throwing down the cavern. The five then started hauling ass out.

"Drew! Any ideas?!" Jaune yelled while firing his DMR into a ursa.

"Yeah, it's called go fucking up!" Drew yelled while killing a beowolf alpha.

"No shit!" Preston yelled.

"They must've had a way for flyers to get out." Layne said.

"That would've been back at the cavern, no way in hell we're going back that way!" Drew yelled.

"I've got a way up over here!" Dakota yelled. Fighting over to Dakota, they found a tunnel that went straight up with a little bit of sun light visible.

"Let's get moving!" Jaune yelled while he started to climb up with the rest of Delta behind him. At the top was more grimm and a way out. "This way!" Jaune yelled trying to fight out. However, a goliath looked into the tunnel before collapsing the entrance with rubble.

"Oh that's not fucking fair!" Drew yelled.

"Let's find another exit Delta!" Jaune yelled. They turned around and started fight towards the interior of the mountain. After a twenty minutes had passed, they all got a ten minute warning on their helmets HUDs.

"We are out of time!" Drew yelled.

"No shit! Any idea?" Jaune yelled.

"Hey! Something just turned over here!" Preston yelled.

"Then let's go in that direction!" Jaune yelled, leading the push in that direction. When they reach the end of the turn, they found another exit with another goliath looking in. Dakota was the first to step forward by shooting it in the eye. The shot didn't kill it, but it caused it to leave.

"Nice shot Dakota! Everyone, outside now!" Jaune yelled. Upon reaching the outside air, they were greeted by more grimm. "Adler, where's the nearest place to land the Pelican?"

" _There's a clear enough area around about six meters above you."_ Adler said.

"Wait. Did you say above?" Preston asked.

"Yeah he did. Start climbing Delta!" Drew said as he starts to climb. About five minutes of climbing later, they arrived at where Adler would land.

"Adler, anytime would be nice!" Jaune yelled.

" _I have grimm flyers on me, hold on a minute."_ Adler said.

"It better be less than a fucking minute!" Preston yelled. Grimm were starting come out of the mountain around them, with the intention of killing them. The five spartans were fighting ferociously with everyone giving it their all. Dakota was about to be pounced by an ursa when Jaune intervened by punching it in the jaw, killing it instantly.

About three minutes later, the pelican arrives.

"You're two minutes late Adler!" Drew yelled.

"Shut up and get in! We've overstayed our visit!" Jaune yelled as everyone piled into the passenger cabin.

"Fucking go!" Drew yelled as the pelican lifted off, leaving a lot of very pissed off grimm behind.

"Get us out of the blast radius and EMP zone. Then plot a course for Crash Site Bravo." Jaune said to Layne as she got back in the cockpit.

Back in the cavern, the jellyfish had found the device the humans left behind, but wasn't sure what it did. Looking over for a few moments, it finds a few numbers on it before it realized what it was. The cavern was suddenly consumed by an overwhelming white light. Outside, the mountain started bloating out very quickly with some areas around entrances starting to glow orange. Then the entire thing exploded, sending pieces of the mountain in all directions with a large blast wave traveling out from it. Around it, tunnels and cave that extended around the mountain expanded as the blast wave traveled through them, only for them to emerge in the canyon walls around the mountain.

Even the fireball was largely contained within the mountain, a large area was still incinerated by shear amount of heat generated by the sudden and violent nuclear decay. The few trees that were still standing were blown over by the blast with any easily combustible material being burned away instantly.

At Crash Site Bravo, everyone could feel the explosion even before debris started falling down around them. Raven was taken completely by surprise first by the blast wave itself, then by the sheer volume of the debris coming down. Most of it was easily the size of a small house at it's largest and a small car at its smallest. With some debris even still having trees on them that were burning 'What did they do?' She asked herself.

Using her semblance, she opens a portal to a higher vantage point. What she sees shocks her. The mountain that once remained there is gone. Replaced by a large volume of debris still hanging in the air with a massive dust cloud around it all. At the top, the air was starting to wrap downwards, forming the top of a mushroom. On the ground, a large crater had formed with the tunnels that once surrounded the mountain had fully collapsed, causing a web of collapsed tunnels to criss-cross around it, with some areas deeper than others.

Looking back up, Raven could see the pelican flying in the air, heading back to the crash site. Using her portals, she returns just as the Pelican touches down and the team leaves the dropship.

"What the fuck was that?" She asked dangerously.

"That was the nuke going off Raven. I did tell you that you would know if we succeeded." Jaune said, before turning to the other Spartans. "Gather everything up, we're back to Beacon." After getting a collection of nods and acknowledgements, he turns back to Raven.

"Where do you think you're going?" She asked.

"Back to Beacon. Are you objecting?" Jaune asked.

"I want one of them to come with me." She said, causing Jaune to stare her down, alone with any of the Spartans that heard her.

"Out of the question. We're staying with the commander, not going anywhere with you." Layne said.

"The five of us are treading dangerous waters as is, simply because we're alive and not actively heading back to the fight. Asking one or more of them to leave is a step I will not allow." Jaune said.

"Will you? What's to stop them from leaving on their own accord?" Raven asked, testing the waters so to speak.

"We do not leave each other alone. We go together unless absolutely needed." Preston said.

"And we are not splitting up here Raven. We're gonna plan our next action at Beacon. You're free to join us, but if not you're free to stay here." Jaune said.

"Very well then." She said, opening a portal to an unknown location.

"She's not gonna leave us alone, you know that right?" Layne said.

"I know. Kept your eyes sharp for at all times, understood?" Jaune asked.

" **Yes sir!** " They all yelled, returning to their work.

Thankfully it didn't take very long for Delta to gather their equipment. Since they had two pelicans, Jaune would fly one that would carry most of the ammo as well as Dakota while Layne would fly the other pelican with the rest of Delta. Around an hour after they went airborne, Jaune's scroll went off.

" _You have some explaining to do Mr. Arc."_ Ozpin said.

"What? I told you we were detonating a nuke." Jaune said.

" _You didn't tell me the extent of the damage"_ Ozpin said.

"I've told you Ozpin, this is not a half assed weapon. I told you it was going to be destructive." Jaune said.

Ozpin simply sighs, " _Very well. But if the council starts asking questions, you will be the one to answer them."_

"Ehh, I can live with that." Jaune said.

 **So half way through typing this I suffered from a case of writers block. Even though I was playing Siege, GTA V, and Forza 5. Ehh, what can you do?**

 **S: Umm, I don't have a response for that, not a single one.**


	16. A Place to Stay

**So, I don't where to start this off at other than FUCK YEAH! VOLUME FIVE! Yeah, I'm excited, (So am I - Drew) I'll try and finish this chapter before then. In the meantime, I've taken the time to plan the plot of the story out ahead, I really only planned up to the nuke last chapter. So, some planning ahead is nice. Moving on here's to last chapters reviews.**

 **Artyom-Dreizehn: Personal note, nice name dude. You have a fair point there, the UNSC has these things called Nova bombs, long story short, they can destroy moons. I would say planets, but I can't confirm this. Yes to EMP resistance, but at the time I forgot about that. Attempting damage control.**

 **ChimaTigon: JNPR is at Beacon with the rest of the students.**

 **Also, RWBY timeline wise, the events around Jaunedice have yet to occur.**

Above Sanus, around 5 kilometers away from Crash site Bravo a group of about ten bullheads was screaming towards the crash site. On the sides of the bullheads, the telltale symbol of the White Fang, a red beowolf with three claw slashes, could be seen. Inside them, about a dozen White Fang warriors were gearing up to take back what they thought was rightfully theirs.

"Alright, the human scum took over on our bases here, took our people into slavery, we're gonna get them back." The leader of the group said in a low, dark voice. At his side was his weapon of choice, a chainsaw. His mask was also unique since it covered his entire face.

"Sir! We're detecting an aircraft of unknown origin around the mountain. It's maintaining a one-kilometer distance." The pilot said.

"I don't think so, but it's hard to tell. It appears armed with a chin-mounted cannon." The pilot said.

"Sir! It's being chased by grimm as well!" The co-pilot said.

"Open the doors." The leader said. After his command, the doors on the side of bullhead open up, allowing everyone inside to see the mountain. Then the sounds of a battle could be heard.

"Gunfire. Do we have anyone left out here?" One of the other soldiers asked.

"No, everyone was either killed or captured. Someone else is out here." The leader said. "Pilot set us down here. We'll finish them off."

"Copy that." The pilot replies.

" _Umm, this transport seven, something's wrong with the mountain. It's bloating._ " One of the other bullhead pilots says over the comm system.

"What do you mean by bloating?" The leader asked dangerously. He had no patience for any bullshit.

"Umm, that aircraft is leaving." The pilot of his bullhead said. Then before his eyes, the mountain starts to expand. Then the bullhead starts to shake. "What's going on?!" He yells out.

"I don't know! I've lost control! We're going down!" The pilot yelled, around them the other bullheads start sharing their problems.

" _This is electronic interference! Whatever's happening to the mountain it's screwing with our electronics!"_ One of the other bullhead pilots yells out.

"All aircraft, set down now!" The leader yells. Then mountain explodes just as everything goes black.

Several minutes later, the survivors from the crash gather around the downed bullheads, trying to gather their wounded and dead.

"Sir? You asked for me?" One of the grunts asked the leader.

"Where did that unknown craft go?" He asked dangerously low.

"My guess sir? Vale." The grunt said quietly.

"Gather everyone up, and leave our dead behind. Destroy anything you can't carry. We'll regroup with Adam's cell." The leader said. Wordlessly, the grunt starts relaying his orders. The leader looks up at the was once the mountain. In its place, a large mushroom cloud with red flames on this inside.

Several hours later, Jaune and the rest of Delta had returned to Beacon to several less than pleased people waiting for them.

"You have some explaining to do," Glynda said.

"What? It's only a mountain in the middle of the continent." Jaune said, trying to play innocent as he takes off his helmet.

"A mountain that contained spawning pools. We solved a major problem." Drew said, getting some looks from Ozpin and Glynda.

"I'll introduce them later," Jaune said before turning to the other Spartans, "Get that armor off Delta, get some rest," Jaune said to Delta.

"Fuck yes. Rest." Preston said.

"Will they require my help?" Pyrrha asked from behind Glynda.

"No. They brought the equipment needed to remove the armor. I appreciate the offer, however." Jaune said to Pyrrha. Next, to Pyrrha, Jean was less than pleased with her brother but wasn't hiding it like Pyrrha was. "Later Jean," Jaune said, placing his helmet under his arm.

"Let us speak about this in my office." Ozpin said.

"Agreed." Jaune said. As he was leaving, Jean grabbed his arm.

"Why did you lie to my partner?" She asked.

"Later." Jaune said, freeing his arm and walking forward.

"Please calm down Jean, he didn't hurt anyone." Pyrrha said, trying to calm her partner down.

"Tell that to the grimm!" Drew yelled from the pelican. This did little to cool Jean down.

Several minutes later in Ozpin's office, both he and Glynda were getting answers from Jaune, "You mind telling us what happened?"

"A nuclear device was deployed in the mountain, the entire mountain and it's spawn pools are no more." Jaune said

"How many grimm were killed in the process?" Glynda asked.

"Unknown. Likely in the thousands. A lot of the surrounding area was completely destroyed." Jaune said.

"In any case, while you did the Kingdom of Vale a massive service, there is still the original horde to contend with." Ozpin said.

"I would like to save our second nuke for, extreme issues only. We cannot create more of them. I intend to keep it that way." Jaune said.

"Good. Seismologists felt the explosion on their systems and they asked me if I knew about it." Ozpin said.

"James is also going to want answers." Glynda said.

"James can wait, Glynda. I want to assure me that your Spartans are not a threat." Ozpin said.

"Are you really that worried about unknowns?" Jaune asked.

"Unknowns can topple governments." Ozpin replied.

"Well, they're not gonna go kill the entire population of Vale, if that's what you're worried about. I will a find a secure hiding spot for our last nuke for the time being." Jaune said

"Maybe we can help with that." Glynda said.

"Glynda, is that a good idea?" Ozpin said. He knew exactly what she had in mind.

"Unless you know of another location." She said back.

"Umm, what are you two talking about now?" Jaune asked, fully confused.

"Under the school, there is a vault, I won't say what's in it, but it's the best place for the nuke. One of us-" Ozpin started.

"No. I only trust either myself or another Spartan handling that nuke Ozpin. There will be no discussion on that front." Jaune said, interrupting Ozpin.

"Ozpin, please don't fight me on this one. You were going to have to show him it at some point." Glynda said.

"I suppose you are right." Ozpin said.

"What is in this vault that is so damn important?" Jaune asked.

"Are you aware of the concept of stasis?" Ozpin asked.

"The UNSC uses cryosleep during interstellar voyages, so I'm then more than familiar with it." Jaune answered.

"Excellent. Remember when I said the Fall Maiden was injured?" Ozpin asked.

"She's in the vault, isn't she?" Jaune asked.

"Yes. She is alive for now." Glynda said.

"For how long? There must be a point when you must cut the life support." Jaune said.

"We're hoping we find who stole part of her power before we do this." Ozpin said.

"The remaining half of the power could go to however stole the other half." Glynda explained.

"Well, when you explain it like that it makes perfect sense," Jaune said. "I'll figure out the best time to do this. I don't want anyone to know about this." Jaune said.

"On that, we are in agreement Mr. Arc." Ozpin said.

"If that is all, I would like to get this armor off." Jaune said, before leaving the office for good. Waiting downstairs was Jean and Pyrrha. "Wow, you two must want answers." Jaune said in surprise.

"That is exactly what we want." Jean said. The three started going to the landing pads.

"Remember that we found that horde a few days ago?" Jaune asked.

"With the spawning pools?" Jean asked.

"Yeah. Let's just say the spawning pools are no longer an issue." Jaune said, surprising the two.

"But how? Mistral failed in destroying ten spawning pools. You had an entire mountain to go through." Jean said. She was trying to figure out how her brother could've done this.

"Well, the mountain doesn't exist anymore." Jaune said.

"To destroy an entire mountain? Who has a semblance like that?" Pyrrha asked, her partner's brain thoroughly fried.

"It wasn't a semblance Pyrrha, it was a weapon that did it. We walked it in, then hauled ass out." Jaune said.

"Is there more of these weapons?" Jean asked.

"No, there is not." Jaune lied.

"So what was the damage then?" Jean asked.

"I'm not going to go into details, but part of the damage is the blast wave and fireball, but also the radiation it gives off." Jaune explained.

"A person's aura should be able to nullify any radiation." Pyrrha said.

"I'm taking into consideration that some people don't have theirs unlocked. If you will excuse me, I'm getting this armor off." Jaune said, leaving the two behind him.

Back at the landing pads, the two pelicans had taken up one of the landing pads thanks to careful landing. In one of the pelicans, the Spartan IIIs had removed their armor and stored it based on their owner.

"So, why do you think the commander was taken?" Dakota asked.

"Maybe to explain what the hell just happened." Drew said.

"Or to figure out what to do with the last nuke." Preston said. Speaking of said nuke, Layne was making sure it was still with them.

"Or both." Layne said.

"We still have it?" Jaune asked walking up to the pelican.

"Yeah, it's still in here." Layne said from the cargo bay.

"So, what are we doing with it?" Drew asked.

"I've just informed a vault under the academy, we'll be storing it there for the foreseeable future." Jaune said while activated the armor removal system.

"When?" Layne asked.

"Probably tonight under the cover of darkness. I don't want anyone to watch us." Jaune said.

"How do we access the vault?" Drew asked.

"My guess would be the elevator in Ozpin's tower, otherwise don't know." Jaune said.

"I could find that out, commander." Alder said, chiming in.

"I have another idea for you. Take a look at Remnant's version of the internet, see what you can find out about us." Jaune said, now his armor removed.

"May I ask why?" Adler asked.

"I would like all of you to the smallest possible footprint."Jaune explained.

"Alright then, but where will we be staying?" Drew asked.

"I have no idea. I'll bring it up with Ozpin later on. I suppose, for now, stay by the pelicans and watch our gear. Stay as vague as possible." Jaune said.

"Understood." Drew said.

"Now if you need me, I'll gonna figure out your arrangements." Jaune before walking off.

"So, who wants to eat?" Drew asked.

"Do they have tacos?" Dakota asked, causing the rest of the team to laugh.

Back in the academy, Jaune was walking back towards Ozpin's tower when he comes across an interesting scene; Jean and Cardin arguing about something with Velvet trying to hideherself. First walking up to Velvet, he gently touches her shoulder, "Are you ok?"

"Y-Yes professor." She said quietly. Jaune could tell otherwise.

"Head to my office when this is over, I want to talk to you." Jaune said, causing her to look scared, "You're not in trouble, I'm about to figure out who is." Jaune said, then moving towards the two arguing students. Coughing into his hand, hes gets their attention. "What is going on here?"

"Just a friendly argument." Cardin said.

"He was pulling Velvet's ears, I tried to get him to stop." Jean said in defense of herself. Jaune looks over at Cardin.

"Is this true Mr. Winchester?" He asked.

"No, but she did attack me for no reason. I was simply having a talk with her," Cardin said, pointing at Velvet who was hiding behind Jaune.

"Oh? And what reason was that?" Jaune said, playing along.

Smirking slightly, Cardin started, "Well she jumped onto my back hitting my neck." He said, showing his neck which did indeed have an injury. However, Jaune noticed the injury had been there for a while.

"I see. Mrs. Arc, what is your defense?" Jaune asked, turning towards his twin.

"I found Cardin here pulling on Velvet's ears, I attempted to intervene." Jean said.

"Attempted?" Jaune asked.

"I wasn't entirely successful, he simply turned his focus to me." Jean said bashfully.

"I see. I handle it from here Mrs. Arc, take Mrs. Scarlatina here to my office and stay with her, I wish to have a word with you two." Jaune said, before turning to Cardin and his team. "Now, what am I going to do with you four?" He said with crossed arms.

"You're showing favoritism professor," Cardin started. "If my father were to find out-"

"Let me stop you right there." Jaune said, putting his hand up, "Your father would be disgusted by your actions. Tell me, was he a hunter at some point in his life?"

"Yes, that's how managed to get on the Vale council." Cardin said, clearly surprised by the professor's question.

"And how does one get on the council?" Jaune asked.

"Outstanding service to the kingdom, as well as a letter of recommendation by an existing council member." Cardin answer, now more confused than ever.

"Excellent. Now, tell me what would you gain from harassing other students, your allies?" Jaune asked.

"The animals? How are they allies?" Cardin asked.

"The faunus attending this school with you have as much of a place here as you do you, Mr. Winchester. If you are trying to control them through fear, then you find that will only work so long. At some point, their fear will turn to anger and rage, both will be directed at you. Also on a personal note, why would you harass a second year? You do know there is a larger gap in skill and experience in these academies than junior ones, correct?" Jaune asked.

"O-Of course. Beacon and other academies like this give their students more freedom to hunt grimm." Cardin said, caught off guard by the professor.

"My word of advice: don't pick on anything higher than second years," Cardin smiled for a second, thinking the professor just gave him free reign over the first years. "And if I find out your harassment continues for whatever reason, my punishment will be nothing compared to Professor Goodwitch's. Am I understood?" Jaune asked.

"Of course teach." Cardin said in a cocky grin before walking off with his team. The few students that watched the scene also started to walk off, some wishing that the professor had given Cardin a harsher punishment.

"I see you handled that well." Ozpin said from behind Jaune, surprising him.

"As well as I could." Jaune said.

"I know what you attempted to do and congratulate you for it, the part with his father." Ozpin said before taking a sip of coffee.

"I simply asked him to think on what was his actions could cost him." Jaune said. "Another thing, however, I needed to talk to you."

"About what?" Ozpin asked.

"About where the other Spartans could stay. They're neither students nor staff of Beacon. Where can they stay?" Jaune asked.

"They could stay in one of the older buildings of Beacon. They're not in use and not likely to be used for some time. And they're still connected to Beacon's water and electrical systems." Ozpin said after a few moments of pause.

"I guess that'll do. Are they allowed to renovate anything?" Jaune asked.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt anyone. Just tell them to not make too much noise." Ozpin joked, giving both the teachers a laugh.

Once Ozpin was gone, Jaune headed back to the pelicans. At the pelicans, Delta was eating mostly Mexican style food.

"So what's the word commander?" Drew asked.

"There's an unused building on campus that you can use. Start moving all our gear there and stash a pelican nearby for us. I'll have them registered under my name as custom made bullheads." Jaune said.

"Ok, what about your gear?" Drew asked.

"I never said you were moving it. I'll be stashing my armor with yours for the time being." Jaune said.

"Alright, can we finish eating first?" Drew asked.

"Sure. I need to have a talk with two of my students anyways." Jaune said before heading back to his office.

In his office, Velvet and Jean were waiting with Velvet massaging her ears and Jean making sure she was alright. Looking at her ears, Jean could see some missing fur. "Was today especially bad?" She asked quietly. Velvet simply nodded. "Don't worry about my brother, I don't think we're in trouble." That's when Jaune walked in.

"Yeah, you're right." Jaune said, startling the two. "Are you ok Velvet?" He asked sitting down on another chair.

"Y-Yes, my ears just hurt badly. Today was especially rough." She said quietly.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Jaune said before turning to Jean, "How did you get him to stop Jean?" He asked.

"I grabbed his hand and forced it off Velvet. He then started shouting at me about his father's influence and our family." Jean answered.

"I see, you could've handled it better, but you still did a good job." Jaune said. Jean was surprised by her brother's words.

"But I could've done things better." Jean said.

"It's fine Jean, really, it is. You handled things well out there. On another note, what happened to your partner?" Jaune asked.

"She was going to do some homework, I was going to do some solo training." Jean said.

"Well, you may need it. Cardin's going to want revenge for that, people like him always do." Jaune said.

"W-What about me?" Velvet asked.

"Where's your team?" Jaune asked.

"They're out on a mission, my weapon was damaged while you were gone so I was repairing it." Velvet said.

"I see. If you need any help with them, please come and find me." Jaune said.

"O-Of course professor." Velvet said bashfully.

"Also, in private, just call me Jaune." Jaune said with a small smile.

Immediately after finishing that sentence, Drew barged through the door prompting two screams of surprise. Jaune instinctively reached for his sidearm but stopped once he realized who it was breaking down his door.

"We need to talk. Now!" Drew half yelled, half spoke.

"About what?" Jaune questioned.

"Sensitive material." Drew said very seriously while making himself clear that he wanted Jean and Velvet to leave.

"I'm sorry for taking up your time today girls. Please excuse the asshole who so rudely interrupted us." Jaune apologized.

"It's not really that big of a deal." Jean quickly spat out.

"S-s-sure." Velvet stammered, clearly distraught by the Spartan.

Velvet and Jean both left, leaving Drew and Jaune in Jaune's office.

"Alright, what did you find that is so sensitive?" Jaune asked the other Spartan.

"Well first off. I had Adler do a check on everyone to see how our bodies were adapting to Remnant. Needless to say, everyone in Delta has contracted a form of radiation. This form is nothing like what we have seen before. So it's not from the nuke. It would explain why so far, besides in combat, we feel "off". Second, it seems that in the short time we have been here, small changes have been occurring in our genetic makeup. Nothing substantial but something to keep an eye out for. Lastly, and admittedly the least important, Adler did a scan of the planet's atmosphere. Not only is it highly ionized, it's also composed of a lot more helium than Earth. Plus the planet itself is smaller. It explains a lot actually on how the way people move seems more fluid and easy." Drew explained.

Jaune took a moment to sort through the information he was just presented. "So you're telling me that you barged through my office door, whilst I'm conversing with students of this school, to tell me about the atmosphere, and irradiation?" Jaune calmly asked.

"Correct." Drew answered.

"Well I can't be mad about the irradiation, but the fucking atmosphere! Seriously! Now I would understand if it were the case that atmosphere was in fact highly irradiated, which it is not, but seriously, why the fuck would you barge in here for that?" Jaune chewed Drew out.

Drew was unphased by Jaune's outburst. After all, Mendez was much louder than the Spartan. Drew only shrugged and pulled up a datapad with the newly acquired information on the planet. He left it on Jaune's desk and walked towards the door.

"Oh Jaune, I didn't say everything. What I withheld cannot under any circumstances be revealed to anyone besides the Spartans. Besides I don't think the public would like what we found." Drew said rather cryptically as he walked out the door.

Jaune expected that the Spartan would have something of importance, however, he didn't expect that whatever was on that datapad to be so important that Drew wouldn't even risk talking about it. Jaune knew the entire school was under surveillance. He quickly went to the bathroom, one of the few places in the school that weren't under surveillance and read what was on the datapad. He could barely believe what Delta concluded. The last entry read: 'Planet overwhelmingly seems to house a hollow core indicating it is likely artificial.' In quotations was the word theoretical. Jaune quickly closed the datapad and returned to his office.

"Shit." Jaune said as soon as he entered his office. Placing the datapad in a hiding spot, he heads towards Delta's new residence.


	17. Jaunedice Part One

So, we're gonna ignore the little fuck up last chapter, right guys? Right? No? Fuck. (GET SHIT ON, nerd. -Drew) Moving on to reviews,

Artyom-Dreizehn: Yeah Jaunedice should happen soon, as for the part that aura can nullify radiation? Umm, reasons? I can pull one from somewhere, yes interesting perk by the way. Yes, they're corvettes and thanks for the review!

Garoorar: Yes, "aliens"

Zombieman55: You are not wrong friend, I've read that story. Or at least the parts published.

Holyknight5: Welcome back friend. Also. I ONLY DID IT ONCE!

Terminatis: No. Try again later.

Guest 1: Oops.

Now then, let's get going.

"So correct me if I'm wrong here, you were knocked by something and lost a dozen or so of your brothers and sisters?" Torchwick asked. In front of him was the White Fang lieutenant that tried to take Crash Site Bravo (A/N: If it wasn't clear enough, that's just what's it's going to be called from now on)

"Yes, which is why we need to get into Vale, Adam must know what happened." The White Fang leader said. As much as he detested Torchwick, he was the go-to person if you wanted to get anything or anyone into Vale undetected.

"Wow. Ok then," Torchwick then turned around. "Hey Perry, help get these guys into the city!" He called. Perry was a White Fang grunt that Adam assigned to Torchwick, who simply nodded at Torchwick.

"Everybody into the city! NOW!" The White Fang leader yelled as Perry started leading them into Vale.

Meanwhile, in Beacon, the members of Delta were settling into their new home, or at least their home on Remnant.

"So, this is what he got us?" Preston asked. On the outside, the building looked like any unused building, covered in dust and some overgrown plants. The inside was another story entirely. Simply turning on the tap and a light switch shows the building was still connected to the water and power supply. The walls, while some areas had a nothing other than drywall, were still intact, the same was true for the ceiling and floors. The building had three flights of stairs that went up to a second floor and basement respectively and both were in more or less perfect condition.

"Are you complaining?" Layne asked. Right now, the team had selected one of the unused rooms as an armory, though they would've liked a gun safe or something to store the guns in, rather than leave them in the open.

"No. I was just expecting something worse!" Preston exclaimed. Drew was upstairs looking at room for a command center while Dakota was with Jaune moving their gear from the pelicans they parked outside.

The door opens up with Drew carrying a crate of ammo. "So, how does the command center look?" Layne asked.

"Well, I need to rewire some of the electrics upstairs. Someone was gutting the second floor's wiring. Other than that we're good. We just need a holotable or something." Drew said after setting the crate down.

"You'll have to make due with low tech options," Jaune said, carrying his set of Mjolnir armor.

"I'm with Jaune on this one, we've got it good here Drew. Let's not complain about something like that." Layne said.

"I'm not complaining, I would just like one." Drew said.

"That sounds like complaining." Jaune said. He takes a look around the room. The center was dominated by a large table with all their weapons on it, with some disassembled. The wall opposite the door had a window on it, which had a great view of the pelicans. On the two other walls, crates of ammo were stacked up with other unused equipment and tools.

"So this the last of it." Dakota said as he puts his sniper rifle on the table.

"So, I just wanna know something; what are we going to do about dust?" Preston asked.

"I suppose independent R & D projects are fine, just make sure you reverse anything you do to your weapons, we don't any way of making more of our weapons. Ammo is another thing entirely." Jaune said.

"The Eagle's Talon has a small scale automated factory, good for making small arms and ammo, including rockets." Drew said.

"Could you get some extra guns for us?" Layne asked.

"I'll have to ask what they did with the ship. Or I could figure out what they did with the weapons they recovered at Crash Site Bravo." Jaune said after thinking for a few moments. "Weapons aside, how's the place?"

"Everything inside still works, we have running water, electricity, warm food." Drew said.

"So everything that you'll need." Jaune said rather than asked.

"Yeah. There is one thing though, are we now part of Beacon?" Drew asked.

"No. You four report directly to me and me alone. If anyone asks you for mission debriefings, you say no." Jaune said.

"Understood." Drew said.

"Are now a black ops unit?" Layne asked.

"Yes and no. While you'll be in public eye for the simple reason of you're in Beacon, the public can and will not know about your missions. All intelligence you gather will be given to me immediately." Jaune explained.

"Where does that Intel go then?" Preston asked.

"That depends on the intel. If it can do more good out of our hands, then it will be shared." Jaune said.

"ONI wouldn't like that, at all." Drew said.

"Well ONI's not here, it's just us and the rest of the planet." Jaune said. '

'

"What about the other students?" Preston asked.

"Blend in, if possible. Avoid using our armor and limit weapon use, but only when around them." Jaune said.

"If they start asking questions?" Drew asked.

"Make something up." Jaune said.

"Shouldn't be too hard." Drew said.

"For you maybe" Layne jabbed at Drew, causing the other Spartans to laugh.

Jaune excused himself while the other Spartans were working on their new home, he had to deal with something else: The Grimm Horde. While it was still somewhere in the middle of the continent and moving very slowly. Slowly as in, less than a kilometer a day, maybe even less. So it will take a while before it becomes any major threat to Vale itself.

While walking through the halls back to his office, he was stopped by Glynda. "Jaune, can you help me with something?" She asked.

"That depends, what do you need help with?" He asked.

"My class will going into the Forever Fall Forest and I need an extra pair of hands for watching over the children." Glynda said.

"Sure, I'll lend a hand." Jaune said. As he turned around, he could hear Glynda sigh in relief lightly.

Back in his office, he brings out his scroll and calls someone. " _Hello_?" His mother answers.

"Hey mom, can you help me out with something?" He asked.

" _Sure, what'd you help with?"_ She asked.

"Remember that station that crashed not long ago?"

" _Yes I remember it very well."_ She answered

"I need some of the weapons recovered from the crash site." Jaune said.

" _How many?_ " She asked.

"I can send you a list afterward, I just need to know that you can get them to me." Jaune said.

" _We can get them to you with no problems, it just depends on what you need."_ She said.

"Perfect. As soon as I hang up I'll send the list." Jaune said.

" _Ok. What do you need them for exactly_?" She asked.

"R & D projects and breaking them down for parts." Jaune said.

" _Ah, have fun with that. Don't break the school."_ She said jokingly.

"No promises." Jaune said jokingly back before hanging up. He then brings up the list he made while helping out Delta and checks it on last time.

X25 MA37 Assault Rifle

X25 M392 Designated Marksman Rifle

X25 BR55 Service Rifle

X25 M7 Caseless Submachine Gun

X25 M90 CAWS Shotgun

X10 99C-Series 2 Anti-Material Rifle

X5 M319 Individual Grenade Launcher

X5 M41 Surface-to-Surface Rocket Launcher

X40 M6G Personal Defense Weapon System

P.S. Don't worry about sending ammunition, we have plenty.

'For now.' He thought to himself before hitting the send button, he waits for a reply to come. A few moments later, he gets a response.

' _That's a lot of weapons Jaune, anything else?'_ His mother asked.

'No, that's it.' He sent back.

' _Ok, but if the Vale Council asks, you'll be answering for it.'_ His mother sent.

'That's fine, I figured as much.' Jaune replied.

Setting the scroll down, he lays back in a chair in relaxation. Despite how it looked, the last few days have worn him down mentally. Physically he's fine, he is a Spartan after all. But not everyone has the same mental resistance to being worn down, and he was at his. Looking over at his desk, he sees there was no paperwork or really anything on it all. Well, except the bits for a desktop. Also in the room is his DMR laying against the wall, his magnum was on the counter and his armor was beside his bed.

Two days later, on Monday, Jaune was walking down the halls of Beacon. He wanted and got permission to watch Glynda's class while it was in session. Mostly to observe his students, but also to alleviate boredom. Entering the classroom, he is greeted by Glynda talking about something.

"Am I late Professor?" Jaune asked cheekily.

"No, you are not." Glynda said, unamused. Walking up to the front of the class, he leans against one of the walls at the back of the arena. After she's done talking about something, she calls up Cardin and Jean.

'Oh this will be interesting' He thought to himself. The two walked up to the arena and eyed him.

'I hope I don't do too terribly.' Jean thought to herself while Cardin's thoughts were along the lines of, 'I'm going to show you up by beating your sister' or something stupid like that. The two entered their own respective combat stances. Jean was in a more defensive stance, her shield out forward and her sword close to the ground. Cardin's stance, if you can call it that, is simply placing his mace on his right shoulder while giving a holier-than-you tone.

"Are the two combatants ready?" Glynda asked. Jean simply nodded.

"Yeah, let's squash the bug." Cardin said cockily.

"Begin!" Glynda said. Cardin dashes forward quickly and swings his mace down towards Jean. Jean, rather than attempting to absorb the impact with her shield, dashes to her left. Using her shield, she attempts to bash Cardin in the face.

This, however, was a mistake. Cardin grabs the shield and throws her across the arena. Pulling herself off the arena floor, she sees Cardin dashing at her, going for a sideways slash. Ducking under it, she uses Cardin's larger size to deliver a kick straight to the face. Stumbling backward, he glares back at her. Jean was going on the attack as she charges him. He smirks as he sidesteps her attack then swings at her backside. The impact sends her flying towards the edge of the arena.

Pulling herself off the ground, she sees him swinging his mace in a circle, mocking her. On the back wall, she could see Jaune watching the fight in a neutral tone, simply observing the fight. After standing up, she goes into a defensive posture, shield extended fully out with her sword closer to the ground. Looking down at her scroll, which she placed on the underside of the shield, next to where she holds it, she sees she only has 35 percent of her aura left. Looking back up, she sees Cardin dashing forward and swings at her. Unable to dodge, she is forced to take the full impact.

Cardin had swung with full force, which sent her flying onto her back. After landing on her back, she sees Cardin about to swing down. "Enough! Mrs. Arc's aura has fallen into the red. Since we are using tournament rules, the winner is determined once one of the combatant's auras drops into the red zone." Glynda said before turning to the students, "You both left yourselves open multiple times that neither you took advantage of. Mr. Arc, anything to add since you're here?" Glynda asked, with Jaune remained silent for a few moments.

"Nothing else that you haven't already stated." Jaune said.

"Very well, you two are dismissed. Will Blake Belladonna and Sky Lark come up." Glynda said after dismissing the two students.

The rest of the class goes on with Jaune taking mental notes on everyone's fighting style's strengths and weaknesses. One of the things of note he had was Blake's use of her clones. Even though her physical strength was lower than the average student, she certainly had the stamina to keep up. He also took note that her strikes were more precise for the average first year, though he chalked this up to more hands-on experience.

Once the class was over, Glynda approached him, "Learn anything about our students?"

"A few things, though I would more likely say taking notes." Jaune answered.

"I'm surprised you didn't ask to spar." Glynda said as she sits in one of the student's chairs to do paperwork.

"You didn't ask and it wasn't my intention to spar with anyone. At least certainly not a first year." Jaune said.

"Right," Glynda said as she starts on paperwork.

"I'll leave you to your paperwork then." Jaune said as he started walking out.

"Yes, Ozpin is constantly sending me paperwork to handle." Glynda commented.

"Why doesn't he do it?" He asked.

"I have no idea why." Glynda said, "But someone has to do it."

"Yeah, that's something that has to be done." Jaune commented as he walks out the door. Outside the classroom, he was greeted by Jean. "What's up Jean?" He asked.

"Oh!" She half yelled, he clearly scared her. "Umm, it's about the fight."

"What about it?" Jaune asked with a raised eyebrow.

"DId I do something wrong?" She asked.

"Not exactly." Jaune said. Jean looked up at him in confusion. "Let me explain. When it comes to fighting, there is no one approach to take to a fight. You started the fight with a defensive stance, an excellent starting point." Jaune explained. The two then started walking down a hallway towards Jean's next class.

"But what about my attacks?" Jean asked.

"The main drawback with having a shield and sword is a limited ability to attack. They're great for defense, but a tad problematic when attacking. I'm no expert, however. Ironically, your partner Pyrrha will have more knowledge on this subject than I do, ask her to help train you." Jaune said.

"Should I just ditch the shield entirely?" Jean asked.

"Have you been training with it the entire time?" Jaune asked.

"Yes." Jean answered.

"Then stick with it. You would have to retrain around an entirely new combat style. Work with what you know before trying something else. It's also a good idea to have something to fall back on." Jaune explained.

"A-Are you sure?" Jean stuttered.

"Yes. As strong as I am, I have my weaknesses and inexperience in certain weapons. Your best bet would be to askwith your peers." Jaune suggested.

"Ok. Thank you." Jean said. Then walks into what Jaune thinks is Oobleck's class.

"That was kind of you." Jaune heard behind him. Turning around, he was greeted by Summer.

"I told her what she needed to hear." Jaune stated simply.

"WelI think it worked." She said with a small smile.

Jaune adopted a small smile of his own. "That was the point." He said.

"Well, Glynda just told me you're going to be helping out on the Forever Fall mission, you still helping out?" She asked.

"That depends, you got something else for me?" Jaune asked with crossed arms.

"Well, nothing before Forever Fall. I'll let you know if it's still available." Summer said.

"You've got it." Jaune said. Knowing after this period he has a class to teach, he makes his way back to his classroom. Entering his classroom, he sees his punching bag is still hanging up, as well as one half of the classroom having training mats while the other half having desks and chairs. Noticing something different about the room, he sees the back now has a large number of hooks for backpacks. 'Sweet'

Walking over the training mats, he stands where he would normally stand and teach his students. Walking over to the desk in the back of the room, he sits down and opens up his computer to look for any new memos. After seeing he had none that he didn't already know about, he gets up and starts hammering away at the punching bag.

About an hour later, the bell goes off and Jaune was still using the punching bag in earnest. Several students start filtering while he was still going to town on the thing. However, by the time the last of the students filtered in,

"Alright, now that you're all here let's do a quick recap. Anyone remember where we left off?" Jaune asked.

"Stamina training." Weiss said.

"Correct. Part of the reason we went north in the first place was to one, introduce you to new training styles and two, to give hands-on experience." Jaune said. Someone raises their hand.

"What was the point of going if we're going to be getting missions at the end of the semester anyway?" He asked.

"Well, for starters, it doesn't hurt to start early in that area. I'm going to be honest with you all, you'll likely not receive a mission until that time comes around. Hence the reason for the trip north. Second, and this does not apply to anyone from Atlas, Arcadia's colder climate makes people think smarter, to conserve energy and not waste it." Jaune explained.

"But it didn't feel any different." The same student said

"Correct. While it may be, 70, 80 degrees down here in Vale, it's closer to the 60's up there. 20 degrees does not sound like much, but it is." Jaune said. "Now then, several of you approached me on our way back about the stamina training. That will the focus of today's topic. Now I can't actually increase your stamina here in class, most of it you have to do yourself outside of this classroom. But we will be testing each other's limits here." Jaune explained.

"Where would we start?" Another student asked.

"Cardio. Without Cardio, your muscles would quickly become worn down by the stresses you will put them under. Low-level lessons I know, but we cannot move forward if the foundations are, fragile." Jaune explained. Weiss then raises her hand.

"Where does physical strength come in? Some of us are more gifted than others." Weiss asked, also referring to Cardin and Yang.

"Right now, it plays nothing. Though it does mean that these individuals have a good grasp on this subject matter. Or at least I hope." Jaune said.

"When can we punch things?" Yang asked.

"Physical combat does not happen until later Mrs. Xiao Long. I need to know that everyone can stay standing under relentless combat. What is the point of you fighting someone, if you can't even stand your ground for even a few moments?" Jaune asked. "Ponder on this for the day."

'For a first-time teacher, he knows what he's talking about.' Weiss thought to herself. The rest of the lesson played like this, someone asking a question about stamina and Jaune answering them.

However, about five minutes before the bell rings Jaune brings a halt to the questions. "Now, the first proper assignment I want all you to do is create a training regiment. Use what you believe are weaknesses as a base, then build the regiment around improving them. I will be giving everyone two days to do this. Tomorrow, we will be running laps around the academy, bring proper running attire and water bottles." Jaune said.

"How long do you plan on us running?" Cardin asked running was not his strong suit.

"For most of the period. I plan on pushing all of you hard." Jaune said, causing everyone to groan in displeasure.

Once the period was over, Jaune was able to relax, even it was momentary. 'This is gonna be a long semester.' He thought to himself.

"So, there we were, in the middle of the night."

"It was day." Ren corrected. It had been a few hours since Oobleck's class had started and teams RWBY and JNPR were sitting together with some listening to Nora's story. Yang was completely into it while Blake was reading a book, completely ignoring the pink grenadier. Weiss was messing with her fingernails and Ruby was also into the story like Yang was. Pyrrha, while not nearly as, enthusiastic as the two sisters while Jean wasn't paying attention at all, she was playing with her food.

"We were surrounded by Ursi," Nora continued.

"They were beowolves." Ren corrected again.

"Dozens of them!" Nora continued, clearly not affected by Ren's corrections.

"Two of them." Ren corrected again.

"But they were no match, and in the end, Ren and I took them down and made a buttload of lien selling Ursa's skin rugs." Nora said, finishing her story while Ren simply sighs.

"She's been having this recurring dream for a month now." Ren stated. However, both Pyrrha and Ruby had taken note of Jean's lack of attention to Nora.

"Jean, are you ok?" Pyrrha asked.

"Huh?" Jean said, nearly dropping her fork. " Uhh, yeah. Why?" She asked.

"It's just that, you seem a little," Ruby paused, trying to find the words, "Not ok." She said.

"Guys, I'm fine. Seriously. Ok." Jean said, putting a thumb up in a terrible attempt to move the attention somewhere else. However, a collection of laughter got their attention.

Looking over at another table, they could see team CRDL around a certain faunus with bunny ears. Mocking her for her ears.

"Jean, Cardin has been picking on you since the first week of school." Pyrrha pointed out.

"W-Who? Cardin?" Jean said. Truth be told, that wasn't what was on her mind. "Nah, he just likes to mess around. You know? Practical jokes." She said.

"He's a bully." Ruby said bluntly and with a little anger.

"Oh please, I would hardly call knocking some books out of my hands 'bullying.'" Jean said.

"Ok, if that's not the problem, then what is it?" Pyrrha asked.

"I asked my brother what he thought of the fight." Jean said.

"And what did he say?" Ren asked.

"It was about my abilities with my shield." Jean explained.

"Did he give you advice on it?" Pyrrha asked. Now Jean was scratching the back of her head.

"He actually told me to talk to you Pyrrha." She said Pyrrha was shocked.

"Did he say why?" Ren asked since Pyrrha was too shocked to ask.

"He said it's because he's not very experienced when using shields and swords." Jean said.

"Well, why not add more to your armory!" Yang said.

"Wh-What?!" Jean asked slashed yelled, taken off guard by Yang's outburst.

"What are you four doing?" They heard. Turning back to team CRDL, they saw a tallish woman standing over the five of them. The first thing they noticed was her extremely short hair.

"Playing with the animal." Cardin said before turning back to his' quest'. However, a hand on his shoulder forced his attention back the girl behind him. She squeezed down on his shoulder with some force.

"Care to repeat that, mother fucker?" She asked into his ear very dangerously. Cardin was now slightly scared senseless. However, he was quickly filled with anger.

"What, are you an animal lover?" he mocked, standing to his full height quickly. He was at least three inches taller than this girl, what did she have on him? However, she grabs the top of his armor and pulls him down to her level.

"Now you listen here mother fucker, if I find out that you're pulling this shit again in this room, I am going to turn you into a woman. Do you understand that?" She said dangerously. The men around them, and some women, that heard her instinctively covered their family jewels. "Now then, you," She said as she pointed at the victim, "You are gonna sit with us. Come on." She said letting go of Cardin. She was shocked by the offer but gets up anyways.

"Do you think she would break their legs?" Nora asked energetically.

"NO NORA!" Jean and Ren yelled. They did not need to see that, especially after that threat.

"Pyrrha, can we talk on one of the rooftops?" Jean asked.

"Oh! About what?" Yang asked suggestively.

"No Yang." Jean said instantly.

"Sure Jean." Pyrrha said, after a momentary second of shock.

Back with Delta, they were having a blast watching everyone's reaction to Layne's threat/promise. Though they should've been scared for their own safety, but her wrath wasn't directed at them for once. Once she returned, she was greeted by her three teammates laughing their asses off.

"What are you three laughing at?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Just everyone's reaction to your threat." Drew said. "Also, you picked up a friend." He said, pointing at the girl behind him.

"Oh, this is, um. I didn't actually get your name." Layne said.

"My name's Velvet." Velvet said, introducing herself to the four.

"Oh, sweet. Welcome to our dysfunctional group!" Drew said.

"Speaking of that, I'm Layne. This is Drew, Preston, and Dakota. The three retards of Beacon." Layne said, introducing the rest of her 'team'.

"Where's your team? I figured they would've pounded those four into paste." Drew asked.

"They're out on a mission right now. My weapon was damaged and I didn't want to slow them down." Velvet said.

"Wow." Drew said.

"Anyways," Preston said. "What's wrong about your weapon?"

"I'm not really supposed to say." Velvet said. Unseen to Velvet, Layne was completely focused on her ears.

"Layne, can you stop staring please?" Drew asked. Velvet looked over at Layne and quickly recoiled when she saw her staring at her.

"You know I can't help it! I'm sorry Velvet, I've always liked bunnies." She said, indicating her ears.

"O-Oh! Really? I thought you hated them..." Velvet said.

"Ok, if she hated them, why would she have brought you over here?" Drew asked.

"Well, I-I'm not used to people saying good things about my ears." Velvet said.

"You serious?" Preston asked. Clearly, they weren't expecting that at all.

"Is it really that bad?" Preston asked.

"We're not from around here." Layne said, trying to save the boys.

"Where are you from then?" Velvet asked.

"We came from inside the continent. We were part of a paramilitary unit." Drew said.

"What was life like out there? There's not a lot of people from the far in." Velvet asked.

"It was, difficult. We were part of a caravan moving to a town, which I don't remember its name. Long story short, we should've had more people with us, and we came across a major grimm pack. It should be fairly obvious what happened to everyone else." Drew said.

"What was your home called?" Velvet asked.

"Reach. It was called Reach." Drew said solemnly.

"Why was it called Reach?" Velvet asked, missing Drew's tone.

"It was a small town in small mountain range, the terrain lets us see down, and reach anyone or anything that wished us harm." Drew explained.

"Hence the name Reach." Velvet said.

"Exactly. Plus its place in the mountains was nice too." Drew said.


	18. Jaunedice Part 2

" **I did it!" -Qrow.**

 **Fucking love that quote from that man. ( Vic is such a great voice actor. ) Volume 5 already off to a great start. Haven't seen episode 2 yet. ( I have. -Drew ) Buzz off.**

 **To the reviews!**

 **Artyom-Dreizehn: Fun fact though: I wasn't thinking about that when I typed, I was thinking of a literal explanation of its name Remnant style. As for the Cardin bullying Jean part, I would call it harassing more than anything else, but I'm not have it escalate to anything extreme.  
**

 **So while I type, I'm also waiting for episode 2.** Side note: fuck you, Adam!

In the mountains west of Arcadia, a military base with dozens of airships could be seen. The airships themselves use the same flying wing design what Arcadia uses for its bullhead type craft. The base has a large, flat area that is a mix of nature's work, and the work of people while the base follows the mountain up about two hundred or so meters, all of which houses new airships under construction. This the Julian Arc Mooring Yards, named after the first King of Arcadia. It is the main shipyard/base for the Arcadian fleet. However, the most out of place thing there was a single Paris Class Heavy Frigate; UNSC Eagle's Talon.

Since it was handed over to the Arcadian Military, their engineers have been pouring over it. Inside the ship, Adler had left manuals on how to work everything but the MAC Cannon. However, even without the MAC Cannon, the ship was providing loads of advancements in just about every area of engineering possible. In the hangars, a pair of UNSC Longswords is being inspected by engineers while mechanics are going over mongooses. Warthogs, and Scorpions.

All-in-all, it has been a treasure trove for the kingdom in so many ways. In the base's command center, at the base of the mountain, a large room with dozens of technicians are making sure the base is running while flight controllers give instructions for the airships already in the air. At the center, a holotable that strangely looks like a UNSC holotable is showing the base, surrounding terrain, and the airships currently in the air. Also on the holotable is a hologram of someone, someone very important.

" _How are things going?"_ He asked. It was Vladimir Arc.

"Very well actually, the ship your grandson provided is doing very well. I've said this before and I'll keep saying it, it been a boon for our technology." The commander said.

" _Good, good,"_ Vlad said. " _And what about the ship? Is it still able to fly?"_

The commander took a deep breath in before speaking, "Yes and no. It can make, 'leaps', for the lack of a better word, like we used to get it here. The engine repairs are proceeding now since the engineers had time to go over repair manuals, but there's still extensive damage. We're lucky that the ship has automated production capabilities, but that's also a problem." He said.

" _Oh? How so?"_ Vlad asked.

"The materials needed to make some of the more, advanced components are in short supply. There's plenty of already refined elements used in the more advanced components and there's still enough already built components in the ship's storage, but unless we can find new deposits of things like lanthanum, praseodymium, scandium, neodymium, and the like. We'll need more of those resources to make more components. And that's assuming you or your grandson doesn't decide to break the entire ship down." The commander said.

" _I'm aware of everything you've just told me. I've been reading over the reports from the engineers that the engineering department has sent me. But using what you have, how long will it take to fully repair all its systems?"_ Vlad asked, breaking the few seconds of silence between them.

The commander thinks for a few moments. "A few weeks at the most."

" _Good. Good. Keep me informed."_ Vlad said before his hologram disappeared.

Meanwhile, on one of Beacon's rooftops, Vlad's granddaughter Jean and her partner Pyrrha arrived to talk. However, neither actually said anything for a minute, both just stared out over the water separating Beacon and Vale.

"So, we're here," Pyrrha said awkwardly, "What'd you want to talk about?" She asked, breaking the silence.

"Well, it's about my swordplay. I asked Jaune what he thought about my fight, which I told you about during lunch, I was gonna ask if you help train me." Jean said nervously. 

"O-Of course! You're my partner, we're supposed to help each other." Pyrrha said. Jean beamed in relief at Pyrrha's words.

"Thanks, Pyrrha, I really needed to hear that." Jean said.

"Can I ask you something?" Pyrrha asked.

"Sure." Jean said, confused.

"Why aren't you that good at sword fighting?" Pyrrha asked, but then kicked herself for sounding rude.

"We-Well," Jean sputtered, Unseen to either, Cardin was below them, grinning. "I didn't start training until about a year and a half ago, and most of it was mainly training on controlling my aura." Jean admitted.

"Really? Why didn't you start sooner?" Pyrrha asked.

"I, don't know. I honestly don't know. For a long time I was training to help run the kingdom, but then I just changed my mind and wanted to be a huntress." Jean said. In truth, she knew exactly why she wanted to be a huntress.

"Oh, well, I'm happy you did." Pyrrha said.

"Why, you would've had me as a partner?" Jean joked. Under them, Cardin felt let down, he was expecting something much more juicy and damning.

"So, where do you want to start?" Jean asked. Pyrrha's response was to knock her over.

"Your stance is wrong, we need to work on it." She while helping Jean to her feet.

"Alright, do I-AAAHHHHHH!" Jean yelled as Pyrrha knocked her over.

"Try again Jean." Pyrrha said.

While the two were starting their training, Delta was more or less fully settled into their new home. However, because Drew was messing with the wiring upstairs earlier in the day, the entire building's power was out.

"Why did he decide to this now?" Layne asked. The only thing Layne kept after she became a Spartan, outside of combat at least, was her love of manga, and thankfully the library allowed her to check out a couple different pieces. And right now, she was using a dust powered lamp to light one of these manga pieces.

"No idea why I'm just happy you forced him to fix it." Dakota said, he had also gone to the library to grab some books, however, Dakota just checked out some fantasy books.

"Agreed." Layne said. Preston was off doing something else. The two sat in silence in the dark for a few minutes before the power came back along with them hearing Drew yelling upstairs.

"I fucking did it!" He shouted from upstairs.

"I think he fixed it," Dakota said, stating the obvious.

"You think?" Layne asked sarcastically.

Upstairs, Drew had just finished working on the electrics upstairs when the power was restored. For some reason, someone had installed the fuse box on the second floor. After putting his tools away, he returns downstairs where he finds everyone bar the resident Preston.

"Where is-"

"No idea." Layne said, cutting him off.

"Oh, well that's great." Drew said. "Well, at least everything is working now."

"Don't say that." Layne said.

"Why not?" Drew asked

"Because every time you say that, something breaks." Layne said, not looking up from her manga.

"What?! Since when?" Drew asked.

"Well, there was that time on Onyx." Dakota said. A flashback shows an unaugmented Delta training with weapons when Drew's magnum exploded in his hands.

"Shut up Dakota." Drew said.

"And while we were in slipspace before we got here." Layne said. Another flashback showed Delta on the Eagle's Talon.

"Hey guys, I fixed the mongoose!" Drew yelled before the wheels came off.

"Ok, fine. But I promise I actually fixed it this time." Drew said.

"If you didn't you're sleeping outside." Layne said.

"I'd make sure it works." Dakota advised to Drew.

"Good idea." Drew said, before going back upstairs.

"Why do you help him?" Layne asked.

"Someone has too, and Preston's not here." Dakota said.

Layne takes a deep breath, "Alright, I'll give it to you Dakota." Layne said.

Outside, Preston had just finished setting up camo nets around the Pelicans when the power came back. He had been using his helmet as night vision goggles. Unfortunately, when the power came back, he was staring right at the house. Which led to his current problem, since the only power it had was going to the night vision mode and not powering the setting the automatically dampings the light. And because of that, he was blasted by very bright light.

"Oww, son of a bitch." He cursed to himself as he rubs his eyes.

"Looking back at the building he could see into what could be described as the living room since all it had was a pair of old chairs that were left behind.

"Sweet, he fixed it." Preston thought out loud before turning back to the Pelicans, "Maybe I should build something around them. Ehh, I'll do it tomorrow."

Back inside, the three other Spartans were now lounging around when Preston walks inside.

"Where have you been?" Drew asked.

"Putting camo nets around the Pelicans." Preston said, throwing his helmet into the armory.

"And you took your helmet?" Drew asked.

"Since there were no lights outside, I needed to be able to see." Preston said, defending himself. Sitting down against the wall pulls out a guide on how to kill grimm.

"So, how was your guy's first day here?" Dakota asked.

"Good, minus the sudden loss of power." Layne said.

"Same, though looking forward to some sleep." Drew said.

"I just want to sleep and eat." Preston said.

"You always want to eat Preston, even before you became a Spartan!" Drew yelled slash joked.

"No, I do not." Preston said in self-defense.

"Sure, whatever helps you sleep." Drew joked.

Elsewhere in Vale, a White Fang safe house was filled to the brim with the members from Crash Site Bravo, the wounded were being treated while another leader with bullhorns was with the lieutenant.

"So what happened?" He asked.

"Some kind electronic pulse brought down my bullheads down, right after some kind of device or weapon destroyed an entire mountain." He said.

"This is not good. Who used it? Atlas?" He stopped for a moment, he may have hated humans with a passion, but Arcadia had always been there for the faunus. "Arcadia?"

"No. There was some kind of bullhead that was leaving the mountain, but I didn't recognize the design. Adam, someone else destroyed that mountain." He said.

Adam had to breathe for a moment, he trusted this man, but for someone to destroy a mountain? That was something he had a hard time believing. "How many were lost?" He asked.

"For nothing gained, too many. The entire crash site was completely cleared out. Whatever crashed there had been disassembled and shipped away, along with our people." The lieutenant said.

"Atlas?" Adam asked.

"No. Arcadians. They had left a few pieces behind, unfortunately, the only things they left behind we would've needed the bullheads for." The lieutenant said.

"This is not good. We don't need this." Adam said.

"Worried about the human?" The lieutenant asked.

"No, she has no control over everything we do. No, I'm worried about what could've caused this." Adam said.

"Shall I have our eyes start looking?" The lieutenant asked.

"Do it." Adam said. Something told him things were about to escalate very quickly, and for some reason, this was going to change everything.

Elsewhere in one of the warehouses in the abandoned industrial area of Vale, the group of shady looking people were around a map of Vale.

"So Roman, mind telling me why you didn't tell me about this sooner?" A woman in a red dress asked Roman. This was Cinder Fall, Roman's 'boss'.

"Tell you sooner? This just happened! I literally just sat down on the couch over there when you walked in!" Roman yelled while pointing at the couch in question. To his left, a shorter girl with half pink, half brown hair laugh quietly at her 'friend's' problem.

"Neo! Help me out here!" Roman yelled. She just shook her head, truth was, she was a mute or at least that's everyone thought.

"Come on old timer, tell me you didn't forget she never talks." A male next to Cinder remarked.

"Yes Mercury, I forgot my friend here couldn't speak. Smartass." Roman commented.

"Enough." Cinder said quietly, but authoritatively. "Now Roman, what did they say to you?"

"Something about an electric pulse bringing down their bullheads, I didn't ask how they got back." Roman said.

"Emerald, what do you think?" Cinder asked.

"I don't know, aren't bullheads resistant to that kind of attack?" The woman named Emerald said.

"Perhaps, where are they now?" Cinder asked.

"Don't know why you're not asking Adam" Roman remarked.

"Oh? Do tell." Cinder said, gathering a small flame in her hand.

"W-Well, I didn't ask where they were going after I got inside, you should know this. It's not my business where people go once inside Vale, I just get them inside." Roman said nervously.

"Good answer Roman. But I'm, disappointed with the amount of dust you've been gathering." Cinder said.

"Well, I've been staying low since Little Red happened last week, I'll get started again tomorrow." Roman said truth be told, he was getting bored of sitting around.

"Very good Roman. If that is all, I need to take care of other business." Cinder said, before leaving with her little duo. Once safely out of the building, Roman let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"Let's never do that again." He said to Neo. She simply laughed at him before leaving.

Moving back to Jaune's office, he was going through some paperwork involving the Forever Fall trip tomorrow when he received a scroll call.

"Hello?" He said.

" _Jaune, it's Vlad."_

"Oh, hello grandpa, what's with the surprise call?"

" _Can I not call my grandson?"_ Vlad asked.

"I suppose you can. So, how are things back home?" Jaune asked.

" _Doing well I suppose. Though there are new problems as well."_

"Such as?"

" _The Eagle's Talon."_ Vlad said.

"What's wrong with it?" Jaune asked. He hadn't told anyone this, but every 24 hours, the ship sends him an update on its status.

" _Some of my advisers are telling me to break the ship down like we did that station, but others are telling me to commission the ship."_

"What would it even be classified as? Correct me if I'm wrong, but the largest airship in existence is in Atlas at around 225 meters right?" Jaune asked.

" _You are correct, some are saying it should be called a dreadnaught, others a battleship._ "

"It easily fits both descriptions honestly. There's some tech though that will be a major problem to recreate." Jaune said.

" _Such as?"_

"The nuclear fusion reactors and the MAC." Jaune said.

" _Ahh yes. Those would be the hardest things to recreate. If it was to be dismantled, the reactors would probably power our cities."_ Vlad said.

"Our people above all." Jaune said, reciting part of the Arcadian vow.

" _Indeed, but what purpose would that massive weapon have?_

"Outside that ship, nothing. The ship is designed around the MAC, and MAC around the ship." Jaune said.

" _Much like a bullet with a gun, but back to the main problem: What to do with it?"_ Vlad asked.

"If we commission it, it could be a good excuse to use against the horde that was found." Jaune said.

" _Ahh, that was the center of several conversations. What could help us?"_ Vlad asked.

"Well, the MAC is not an option. It's not a weapon designed for use inside an atmosphere, so we're limited to the Archer Missiles and point defense weapons." Jaune said.

" _What kind of damage could these weapons do?"_

"A significant amount, but they alone won't crack the horde." Jaune said.

" _Agreed. I have been talking with the Vale council about putting people on the ground. We have an estimated date of its arrival."  
_

"And that is?" Jaune asked.

" _Around the Vytal Festival, so the Atlassian Fleet could assist us there."_ Vlad said.

"Plus all the students attending the festival and the fights in it." Jaune said.

" _Exactly. I haven't spoken to James on this, but I'm certain he'll help us on this."_ Vlad said.

"Well, what about our military? What's their strength?" Jaune asked.

" _More than enough to protect the kingdom, but we will be stretched when we go to the festival. I don't want our military to rely on droids like James does."_ Vlad said.

"So actual boots on the ground." Jaune said.

" _Yes it's not going to be a nightmare to move a large number of troops there, not to mention we would need the Vale Council's permission"_ Vlad said.

"How far does their authority go when talking about past the cities walls?" Jaune asked.

" _What are you suggesting Jaune?"_

"We hit the horde before it hits Vale."

" _Then to answer your question, in times of emergency the five councils can call an emergency strike to destroy a grimm horde, this would bypass the rule of the threatened Kingdom's law. However, the troops must return home immediately once the threat has been eliminated unless specifically asked to otherwise."_ Vlad said, citing part of the defensive pact every kingdom had signed several years after the Great War.

"Then we have our answer, and that's assuming Vale doesn't just say fuck it, and let us walk in." Jaune said.

" _Indeed, there also another thing. Give Isabel a call, she's been asking nonstop since you left."_ Vlad asked.

"Must I?" Jaune groaned.

" _Either that or let her go to the festival itself, though Mason may go regardless."_ Vlad said.

"She'll probably go anyways." Jaune said.

" _Maybe, maybe not. That's if her father lets her."_ Vlad said.

"Aside from her, how's everyone doing?" Jaune asked.

" _Your oldest two sisters are back out on the field, they've taken a hunting contract, the rest are still here at home. Your parents and grandmother simply want you to come home soon."_ Vlad said.

"Ahh, so nothing out of the norm, got it." Jaune said. Unseen to Jaune, someone was demanding Vlad's attention.

" _I'm sorry Jaune, but I must end this conversation here."_ Vlad said.

"It's alright, I need to finish some things up here too. I'll talk to you at some point soon." Jaune said.

" _I look forward to it."_ Vlad said, before ending the call.


	19. Forever Fall

**Fuck you, Adam! Sorry, sorry. Had to get it out one more time. Anyways, there's not a whole lot of anything note really, oh wait, Happy Halloween you losers!  
**

 **No reviews to review, sad face. Oh wait, there's one,**

 **Sabere Commander: Umm, separate number? Did I not fix that? Why does he remember his last name, mainly because he uses it as his ID in the program and what's also stopping the other Spartans from remembering their last names? Ehh, maybe. And I always constructive criticism, if someone has something useful that makes a shit ton of sense, yeah I'll listen to what they say. But if it's just them bitching how this story sucks, you can go fuck off.  
**

By the time the sun was barely raising over Vale, several of the staff and students of Beacon were already awake, albeit begrudgingly. Most of these poor individuals are currently still in their dorms, though a few are in the cafeteria. Two such people are Ruby and Jaune.

Jaune was sitting the cafeteria drinking some coffee and had a plate of waffles while reading up on any events that happened while everyone was asleep when she had walked in. Initially, he had once gave a glance when he heard someone open the door. Upon seeing how it was Ms. Rose, he simply went back to reading, that was until she decided to plop down next to him, with a plate of cookies.

"Are you supposed to be eating cookies at, 7:00?" Jaune asked after looking at the time and Ruby with some amusement.

"Only when Yang and mom aren't around." She said.

"Also, shouldn't you be asleep? We do have a field trip today." Jaune said after she downed several cookies.

"I couldn't sleep, I was too excited," Ruby said. She then noticed the empty plate. "What did you have for breakfast?"

"I had some waffles, with some whipped cream and blueberries," Jaune said. "Haven't had any blueberries in a while." Jaune thought out loud.

"Why's that?" Ruby asked.

'Shit.' Jaune said mentally while kicking himself. "They didn't grow where I was, kinda sucked to be honest," Jaune said.

"Really? I thought they grew everywhere." Ruby said.

Jaune actually laughed a little, "That's not how plants work. Some of them like to only grow in a few specific areas. I can safely say they don't like mountains." Jaune said in a half-joking manner.

"Can I ask you something?" Ruby said.

"Sure, you may not get an answer, but sure." Jaune said, but then quickly speaks up again, "If it's about my weapons, then no."

"Ok, I wasn't gonna ask about them," Ruby said. "What is the plan for the field trip?"

Jaune thought for a few seconds before bringing only blanks, it sounds straightforward, go into the forest, do something, leave the forest. "Well I don't have the details, I figured it was a straightforward trip, nothing too exciting." He said.

"Oh. That's it?" Ruby asked, she actually sounded disappointed by his answer.

"Yes. Can I ask you something?" Jaune asked, setting his scroll down.

"Sure!" Ruby half yelled, half said.

"What's life in Patch like?" Jaune asked.

"Well, it's a lot of farmland and forests, that and a small huntsman academy Uncle Tai teaches at." Ruby said.

"What about Qrow?" Jaune asked.

"He sometimes comes and teaches, he's not really a teacher." Ruby said sheepishly.

"I'll be honest with ya, I'll never see Qrow as someone who can teach a class." Jaune said. Both have to stop themselves from laughing at Jaune's comment, mainly Ruby.

"So, what is Qrow like?" Jaune asked.

"Well, he's caring, but his semblance makes staying around hard." Ruby said.

"Oh? Why's that?" Jaune asked.

"Well he doesn't have control over it, and it causes people around him to have bad luck." Ruby said. Jaune couldn't help but laugh at the irony.

"That doesn't sound like the best conditions for raising children." Jaune said. 'I would know the worst though.' He thought to himself.

"Eh, it sometimes works. He spends as much time as he can with us, I love it whenever helps me with my scythe." Ruby said.

"Right, the oversized farming tool." Jaune said, poking fun at her weapon.

"Stop poking fun at my Crescent Rose!" Ruby yelled. "Do you have anything that changes form?"

"Nope. Maybe to make 'em smaller, but nothing that extensive. We focused on mainly staying mobile, and trying not to get hit." Jaune said, referring to the UNSC.

"What about that really big armor?" Ruby said.

"That's a secret Ms. Rose, you'll have to force that out." Jaune said jokingly.

"Force what out?" They heard. Turning, they see a very tired Yang.

"She asked about my armor." Jaune said.

"What are you doing up Yang?" Ruby asked.

"You happened Ruby." Yang said.

"Hahahaha, ohhhhh." Jaune said as the realization kicked in, next to him, Ruby simply looked sad.

"Sorry, Yang." Ruby said quietly.

"It's fine Ruby, I've gotten some really good sleep." Yang said with a yawn. After sitting down, she starts straightening her hair with a brush.

"Isn't that supposed to be something you do in the dorm?" Jaune asked jokingly.

"Are you going to enforce it?" Yang said seriously.

"Not really, have at it." Jaune said, going back to his scroll.

"So what were you two talking about?" Yang asked.

"Well, she first asked about the field trip, then I asked about life on Patch, Qrow got mentioned, then she asked about my armor. Then you walked in." Jaune said.

"That's it?" Yang asked.

"Were you expecting more?" Jaune asked.

"I was expecting worse, to be honest." Yang said honestly.

"What kind of person do you take me for?" Jaune said jokingly. The two blondes laugh at his little joke while Ruby looks slightly confused.

"Wait, what?" Ruby said. The two blondes look at the younger woman before realizing a simple but overlooked fact.

"It went over her head, didn't it?" Jaune asked.

"Yup." Yang said. "She is far too innocent sometimes."

"And that's a bad thing sometimes?" Jaune asked.

"At times yes, but usually not." Yang said.

"Right, well so you want to input anything into what we were talking about?" Jaune asked.

"Not really, I always went out with my dad to hunt grimm every now and again. Most of the time it was quiet on the island." Yang said.

"Until you went to a party." Ruby said quietly.

"You like the party life, Yang?" Jaune asked.

"Sometimes, depends on who's there." Yang said.

"Moving on, what kind of grimm are on Patch?" Jaune asked.

"Well, there's ursi, beowolves, sometimes a few creeps." Yang said.

"Let me guess, it's because your family is kicking their asses." Jaune said more than asked.

"Yup." Yang said smugly with a toothy grin.

"Of course you were," Jaune said, "Did you do anything with them?" He asked Ruby.

"Sometimes, my mom isn't supposed to take missions anymore, so she helps me train." Ruby said.

"How so?" Jaune asked.

"Well, she helps me with Crescent Rose, it was gonna have a smaller bullet, but she helped me give it a larger one." Ruby said.

"What's the caliber?" Jaune asked.

"30-06. It was gonna have a 308. We had to rework the recoil system, a lot." Ruby said.

"How much exactly?" Jaune asked.

"They spent most of the month working on, it looks the same, but it's not." Yang said. The soldier in Jaune could respect the amount of dedication given to her weapon.

"I approve." Jaune said simply.

"So what about your weapons?" Ruby asked.

"Well, when it comes to firearms my forte is long range. Keeping those that would wish me harm to well beyond arm's length. You ever heard of the term DMR?" Jaune asked.

"Nope/No." Ruby and Yang said.

"Well it means Designated Marksman Rifle, a step under a full sniper rifle, smaller round, less range and stopping power, but more controllable." Jaune explained.

"What else?" Ruby asked. Yang was taking more of a sidelines role in the conversation.

"Well, sometimes I would have a few frag grenades and magnum sidearm. Magnum isn't a good name, I'd call it a hand cannon, the one I have is very powerful, it fires a .50 cal round. Though it's not nearly as large a full 50 found in some sniper rifles, not it's still a large round for a sidearm." Jaune explained.

"Ohh, do you have them with you?" Ruby asked.

"'Fraid not, I left them in my kitchen." Jaune said

"Kitchen, really?" Yang asked.

"Yes really, I was cleaning them last night, and left them on the counter." Jaune said.

"Interesting place to do that." Yang said.

"Well, it didn't help that I was also watching some tea I was making." Jaune said.

"Why tea?" Yang asked.

"Why not?" Jaune asked back. Yang just shrugs her shoulder and goes back to combing her hair. Soon, more students start filtering in as they go get their breakfast. "Welp, if I'm going along, I need to do a few things first. If were you, I would get started as well." Jaune said while getting off the bench and walking out of the room.

Once outside, he starts making his way to Ozpin's Office. However, while en route, he runs into Drew. "What are you doing over here?" He asked.

"Not much, just taking a walk." Drew said.

"Come with me, I'm gonna have a chat with Ozpin about you guys, I want you there." Jaune said.

"About?" Drew asked as he follows him.

"Well, I figured I could get you guys to do something around here, earn some income for the house." Jaune said.

"Oh, what's the problem?" Drew asked.

"Well the problem is that you four aren't licensed hunters, you legally cannot take contracts from the local guilds. And a couple of fourteen and fifteen-year-olds suddenly getting licenses would be very suspicious" Jaune explained.

"Ahh, so how would we get money?" Drew asked.

"That is something I wish to figure out right now." Jaune said. The two arrive at the elevator to go up to Ozpin's Office. At the top, they ring Ozpin to see if it's open.

"It's open." Ozpin said. Entering, they're greeted by Ozpin staring out over the water that separates Beacon and Vale with a cup of coffee in his hand. Turning to the two Spartans, he takes a seat. "So gentlemen, what can I help you two with?"

"It's about these four," Jaune said, pointing at Drew. "I wanted your help in getting some kind of income going." Jaune explained.

"Such as?" Ozpin asked.

"Drew?" Jaune asked.

"Something we're good at. Maybe doing some hunting missions other's can't or won't take." Drew said.

"That would be a large number of missions, Vale is running out of huntsmen, most are moving to other kingdoms after they graduate." Ozpin said.

"Popular places to go?" Jaune asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Mistral and Vacuo." Ozpin said.

"Oh boy. So, where could they start?" Jaune asked.

"Well that depends, where would you like to start?" Ozpin asked.

"Something simple would be nice, a place to start." Drew said.

"Also, how would we explain them being here? They don't exist anywhere." Jaune asked.

"We can change that. There are a lot of people that enter Vale that don't exist, simply saying they're from outside the kingdom from a largely isolated community would be very believable." Ozpin said.

"What about being in Beacon?" Drew asked.

"Are you willing to become students?" Ozpin asked.

"My team and I would like to avoid being students, if at all possible." Drew said.

"That presents a problem because you neither enrolled at Beacon nor part of the staff, by law, you must leave the campus at once." Ozpin said.

"Become a student or be forced to leave." Jaune simplified quietly.

"FUCK!" Drew shouted.

"Anyway around this?" Jaune asked, ignoring Drew now cursing in the corner. "Are you done?"

"One sec, FUCK!" Drew shouted again. "Ok, I think I got it out."

"Ignoring your friend's outburst, no, there is not. Fortunately, I can add your names to the roster right now." Ozpin said.

"Sorry Drew, I know I told you guys you wouldn't be part of Beacon, but you're S.O.L." Jaune said.

"Fuck. I'll get them to accept it." Drew said.

"Go ahead and do it." Jaune said. Ozpin pulls up the roster and starts typing away.

"You four will have a week to get acclimated to life in the academy, all assignments you did not do will be ignored only this once." Ozpin said. "I will have Mr. Arc send you a form to fill out, anything you put will be accepted, as long as it's within reason."

"I'll get that to you guys when we're done here." Jaune said.

"Thanks, I guess." Drew said with shrugged shoulders.

"Is there anything else you wished to discuss?" Ozpin asked.

"Not that I can think of, I've got a resupply of weapons en route from Arcadia that I'll be handling on my own, and we can request from there as well." Jaune said. 

"I can see you've been busy there as well." Ozpin said with a small smile. "I suppose I'll let you handle getting them what they need then."

"Do I get a blank check in that regard?" Jaune asked.

"Yes, though you won't get funding from myself or the school." Ozpin said.

"Reasonable. Drew, how we doing on vehicles?" Jaune asked.

"Poor, only thing we've got is the pelicans, we don't even have a damn mongoose." Drew said.

"We'll have to fix that, I'll see if they can send some vehicles with those weapons." Jaune said.

"Please do." Drew pleaded.

"Then there's nothing to talk about, I'm taking my leave." Jaune said, walking out, deciding that he doesn't want to be up there with Ozpin, Drew follows him out.

"They are going to be pissed." Drew said.

"You're their leader, make them listen." Jaune said simply.

"Easy for you to say." Drew said under his breath.

"I heard that lieutenant." Jaune said. With the elevator doors opening, the two go their separate ways, Drew to do whatever and Jaune going back to his dorm.

While walking back, he could see more students were now awake and moving around. Jaune knew that he had about two hours until the first class started.

'Well, a bit more weapon work won't hurt anyone, and I have to order vehicles now.' Jaune thought to himself. Pulling out his scroll, he sends a message to his mother.

' _Have you sent the weapons yet?'_

' _No not yet, why?'_ She sent back.

' _I need some vehicles as well, five warthogs and ten mongeese, and there are weapon mounts for the warthogs, send two of each kind.'_ Jaune replied.

' _Will do, you want one of your tanks?_ ' She sent.

' _Why not? Send one.'_ Jaune replied.

' _Alright, it'll be about a week before we send them, I'll give you a heads up when it's on heading your way.'_ She sent.

' _Thanks, mom, tell everyone I said good morning.'_ Jaune sent before closing his scroll.

Moving forward, Jaune sees the mechanics working on the bullheads at the landing pads while some students were moving about, some with more energy than others.

'So it's gonna be around noon when the trip leaves, so I've still got time to prepare, assuming that I can have time to do so.' Jaune thought to himself.

Several hours later, teams RWBY, CRDL, and JNPR had assembled with Professor Goodwitch and Arc. Everyone had their weapons, and a box of four jars per team, except for CRDL who had six. Glynda had her standard outfit and riding crop while Jaune was wearing a white, long-sleeved shirt and blue jeans. On his back was his DMR with his knife was secured on the left side of his waist while his magnum was on his right. He also brought several magazines of ammo with him and can be seen on the back of his waist.

"Isn't that a bit overkill professor?" Weiss asked, referring to the weapons Jaune was bringing. At that moment, the bullheads take off and start speeding towards the Forever Fall Forest.

"There is no such thing as overkill Ms. Schnee, especially when it comes to grimm." Jaune replied after a few moments of watching the ground below them move. "Care to inform me on what we're doing here exactly?" Jaune asked.

"I will tell you all what we're here for when we land." Glynda said.

"You got it." Jaune said. A sudden burst of turbulence causes the bullhead to shake slightly. "Damn, I never thought I'd miss a pelican." Jaune thought out loud, however, only the closest person to him heard.

"What was that?" Pyrrha asked.

"Nothing Ms. Nikos, just thinking out loud." Jaune said, Pyrrha decided to drop it.

Several minutes later, everyone had dismounted the bullhead and was walking through the forest.

"Yes students, the Forest of Forever Fall is indeed beautiful, but we're not here to sightsee." Glynda said, everyone was in some level of awe by the forest, the leaves of every tree were almost crimson red, as was the ground they walked on. Though upon closer inspection, the ground was covered with a thick layer of leaves from the tree. "Professor Peach has asked all of you to collect samples from the trees deep inside this forest, and I'm here to make sure none of you die while doing so."

"And then there's me, I'll be patrolling around your groups and give you a hand if you need something, try not to stray too far. I'm not gonna hunt your sorry asses down." Jaune said.

"Each of you is to gather one jar's worth of red sap." Glynda said, ignoring Jaune's statement and showing a full jar of sap. "However, as I said on the ride here, there are Creatures of grimm in this forest, so be sure to be by your teammates. We will rendezvous back here at four o'clock. Have fun." Glynda said.

"I'd get it right the first time, it just means you've got more time to marvel the forest." Jaune said offhandedly to everyone while they dispersed into the forest.

About thirty minutes later Jaune comes up on team JNPR gathering sap from a collection of trees. Next to them, the remains of a beowolf could be seen. "Having fun with the locals?" Jaune asked.

"I broke its legs professor!" Nora yelled.

"Good job, how's the collection coming along?" Jaune asked while giving Nora the thumbs up, much to her own joy.

"Halfway professor." Ren said simply. Hearing something above him, Jaune could see Jean in the tree above him.

"Having fun Jean?" Jaune yelled out. "What happened to Ms. Nikos?"

"I'm over here!" Pyrrha yelled from behind a tree.

"What about you Jean?" Jaune called up the tree again.

"I'm watching for grimm." Jean said.

"Ahh, an overwatch. Excellent idea." Jaune commented.

"Thank you." Jean said. Hearing some rustling behind him, Jaune turns to see team RWBY appear.

"Greetings ladies, how's the collection doing?" Jaune said.

"Poorly, we've got one." Weiss said, showing him the full jar and empty jars.

"Well there's plenty here, we've got one jar left." Ren said.

"Welp, you have your solution." Jaune said while pointing at the trees around them, then he noticed something was missing, "Anyone seen team CRDL?"

"No, they went off on their own when we started, we haven't seen them since." Ruby said.

"Hmm, this isn't good, hopefully, the four of them won't do something stupid." Jaune said, however fate had other plans in play.

Behind them was small cliff about thirty meters high, at the top, four young men could be seen with a box that is moving about on its own and six jars of sap. Below them, teams RWBY and JNPR with Professor Arc were going about their own business, unaware that they were planning something. Most were just finishing up gathering sap since over an hour had passed. Though strangely, every jar given to Nora quickly becomes empty.

"I've spent all night gathering these little rapier wasps and these things are attracted to sweets, so I figured a little payback is in order." Cardin says as he pulls out a box with the letter 'W' on the front, the most notable thing about the box was a buzzing sound coming from it while it shakes on its own. He then sees his first victim.

"Her, the redhead and know it all." Cardin said, referring to Pyrrha. Grabbing a jar of sap, he stands to throw it, however, the ground under him caves in a few inches, causing him to lose his grip on the jar and drops it off the cliff.

At the bottom, Jaune sees movement in his peripheral vision before hearing something smack the ground. On instinct, he quickly pulls out his DMR and takes aim on the source. This wasn't unnoticed by several of the students, all of which either, A: alerted the rest of the students, or B: readied their own weapons. Reaching the source of the impact, he sees the lid of a jar, shattered glass, and red sap all over the ground.

"Any of you throw a jar?" Jaune asked, holding the top of the jar. Everyone shook their heads, mainly just confirming what he knew. "Eyes up, someone's up top." Jaune said, dropping the lid and aiming his DMR up the cliff while getting some distance from it.

Then another jar was throw. Using the jar like a clay pigeon, he takes aim and fires at it. He knows he hits it when it starts tumbling around and the lid comes off. Using his left arm as a shield to cover his face. However, the sap lands away from everyone with only a small amount landing on his left arm.

"Ren, Pyrrha with me, we're going up top. Everyone else, be ready for combat, and find Goodwitch." Jaune says with Ren and Pyrrha following shortly behind him. Halfway up a path to the top they hear screaming and three members of CRDL running down, their leader absent.

"Ursa! There's a large Ursa and Cardin is still back there!" The one with the mohawk yelled.

Ignoring them and deciding to yell at them later, the three move up the cliff and see Cardin on his ass with an Ursa Major staring him down while standing on its hind legs.

"You two get him out of there, that thing's mine!" Jaune yelled as he fired on the Ursa. The first round he fires grabs both its and Cardin's attention when it impacted on one of its hind legs, forcing it on all four legs. Turning, it sees the human that hurt it with another two ignoring him. Ignoring the other three humans, the Ursa charges down towards the Beacon professor. Continuing to fire on the Ursa, Jaune is mostly just trying to keep its attention on him and him alone. Some of the shots hit it's arms and legs, with the occasional body shot. Jaune was avoiding face shots since his bullets would only bounce right off while also pissing it off.

As the Ursa was about to swing at his head, he goes from a crouched position to his stomach very quickly. After the Ursa had completely missed, he reaches back to grab his knife with his right hand and swings at its neck. The knife wasn't long enough to cut fully through its neck, instead it only cuts the equivalent of its jugular vein. The injury causes it to stumble back and fall onto its back before dying for good. Turning around, he could see all the other students plus Goodwitch starting to crest onto the top of the cliff.

"Minus Goodwitch, didn't I tell you all to stay down there?" Jaune asked while putting his knife away. Checking his DMR, he sees some mud in the chamber.

"I told them to follow me here." Glynda said.

"Ahh, figured as much." Jaune said before turning to team CRDL, "Now then, what were you four doing up here?"

"We were horsing around and dropped two jars." Cardin said.

"Uh huh." Jaune said not believing them, but not having a choice. However, he looks over at where the boys had been and noted the empty box and slightly caved in ground facing towards the cliff's edge.

"We should leave, we have what we came here for." Jaune said.

"Agreed, I've already called the pilots here." Goodwitch agreed. As if on a queue, the bullhead appears above them and lands next to them.

"Let's go home." Jaune said, being one of the first to board the bullhead. On the ride back, both professors were watching CRDL closely, looking for anything at all. Both knew they were trying something, but didn't know what. Jaune had his suspicions at the moment.

"They want us to do what?!" Preston yelled. Back at Beacon, Drew had informed the rest of Delta and they were not happy at all.

"I know how fucked it is, but we're kinda screwed. The headmaster cannot legally keep us here unless we're either students or staff, and we're neither." Drew explained, trying to calm them down.

"Then why did the commander give us this place in the first place!?" Preston yelled.

"I don't think he knew about that little rule." Dakota said, trying to be a semi-voice of reason. 'And I could be reading some fantasy instead of dealing with this bullshit' He thought to himself.

"And what are they gonna call us? Delta isn't exactly a fucking color." Layne said.

"I don't fucking know, we still have about a week to hammer that detail out." Drew said.

"What about supplies?" Preston asked.

"He has a weapon shipment on its way, but its gonna take time. Remember, we already asked about weapons?" Drew asked.

"I don't remember asking about vehicles though." Preston said.

"That's because I said something earlier in the headmaster's office." Drew said.

"Ah, thanks for that by the way, walking everywhere is gonna suck." Preston said.

"Only for you fatass." Drew said.

"Hey!" Preston yelled.

"Moving on, is there anything else?" Drew asked, ignoring Preston.

"I don't know, how about that fact that we're younger than all of them, and that we don't exist in any database anywhere." Layne said.

"Ozpin's putting something in, also use these." Drew said, giving everyone several sheets of paper. "Ozpin's giving us these so we can create our background, this is what's gonna go in the database."

"Oh, not that I don't appreciate it, but why?" Dakota asked.

"Because we're in the database, something has to be added, period. And doing it this way is easier than Alder adding us in." Drew explained.

"What about missed work?" Preston asked.

"That'll be ignored, the only things we'll be graded on is the stuff we actually are here to do." Drew answered.

"Welp, I'm gonna do this if you guys don't mind." Layne said, indicating to her paperwork.

"Same." Dakota said following Layne out.

"Drew, we're gonna need better furniture here, the beds are rocks, the ridge barely works, and the stove doesn't work period. And that's what I found yesterday, I don't wanna know what all sucks here." Preston said.

"Don't worry about that, we'll still be able to take missions, hopefully. That or I can see if we can request new stuff from the academy itself." Drew said.

"So that's it then? No UNSC?" Preston asked.

"Preston, we're on our own out here. Something's wrong with this planet, Alder found something off and so did the commander, he didn't tell me what. A good example would be that door we found at Crash Site Bravo." Drew said.

"What was that exactly?" Preston asked.

"No idea man, I'm just hoping it won't screw us over." Drew said.

"At this point, anything can screw us over." Preston said while walking off to do his paperwork. Holding his in hand and looking down at it, Drew sighs annoyance before doing it himself.


	20. The Stray and Her Return

**Alright, guys, we need to have a talk. So Sabere Commander alerted me today that someone had posted some very hateful reviews on two or three of his stories. He came to see if I had, in his words, called him a Haloturd, and seeing how this was the last Halo story he reviewed there is a high chance one of you did it. If it was one of you, stop being a toxic asshole. We have enough of those running around on this site as is. Again this was all in his words and what we discussed earlier today (today being 11/09). Also, if one of you did it, please do not speak for me, if I have an issue with a review, I will PM you directly.**

 **That being said, let's get to the reviews.**

 **Guest(Noble Six): No, you're dead. Your corpse got glassed.**

 **Guest(A fan): Not likely, Qrow is her father in this story, and any child would ask why their dad and/or mom isn't around.**

 **Error Sans: Unsure at this time, it would be difficult to this version of Jaune in any romance because he is a Spartan. Also, no right now, but I have but your OC suggestion is in storage for right now, I will get back to it later. *Reads what you put* HOLY SHIT! THIS BASTARD'S POWERFUL!**

 **Umm, this will require downscaling in power.**

 **Also hi I am here I am a new editor my name is Andrew, not to be confused with Drew lol. Geez, John, you need more friends with different names you pleb. :) -Andrew**

 **Yo, what up my guy. He's right btw. You should really find different named friends. On a side note happy Thanksgiving, if you celebrate it or whatever. #longestchapteryet - Drew**

 **Guess we won't mention me? Ok. - Adler**

 **Sorry Adler - Author**

"Holy shit! What do they expect us to do with this?!" Drew yelled. It hadn't even been an hour since Delta started their background paperwork, and they were so overwhelmed by the choices. "Ten different gender options, isn't there only fucking two?"

"No idea, just ignore them and move on." Layne said.

"Am I the only one flipping shit?" Drew asked.

"No, you're just the loudest." Layne replied.

"Well, I'm sorry that this is unnecessary. I thought we established in the 22nd century or something?" Drew asked.

"Late 21st century." Layne corrected.

"Shut up, Layne." Drew said.

"What was that?" Layne asked.

"Nothing, nothing." Drew said quickly.

"I'm sure it was." Layne retorted.

After about ten minutes of silently filling out paperwork, they finally finished and began the walk to Ozpin's office.

"There is so much bullshit with this paperwork! Like preferred pronouns and location of birth. We were all born off world. Sure we can say we are from outside the kingdom, but what if people start asking for more specifics? How will we explain our age and how our bodies are so jacked? Or that we don't have an aura?" Drew ranted.

"You fucking pussy. We just have to bullshit until we get back to UNSC space." Layne said causing Preston and Dakota to start laughing violently.

After Preston recovered from nearly pissing himself, he slowly stood back up and asked, "So how far away are we from Ozpin's office?"

"Shouldn't be too far now. We are in the courtyard." Layne said.

"Yeah, it's just up ahead." Drew said.

After stepping through the main doorway of Beacon's central tower, Delta was greeted by the headmaster himself.

"So I assume you all have your paperwork done?" Ozpin asked.

"As best as we could sir." Drew replied.

"In that case follow me. We still need to work out a few details." Ozpin said and addressed Delta to follow him with a hand motion.

After traveling up the tower in an awkward silence, all five occupants stepped out of the lift into Ozpin's office. Inside were teachers at the academy.

"Please, take a seat." Ozpin gestured to the four empty seats set up.

"I believe the best way to make your transition to students here as easy as possible, is to get to know the professors and for the professors to get to know you. Also, you will need to be assigned a team name. Unfortunately, Delta does not meet the requirements of a team name. I'm aware that you have already met some of the teachers here, Mr. Arc and I believe that you have all met Mrs. Rose unless I'm mistaken." Gesturing to the two teachers.

"Pardon my appearance guys, Goodwitch and I just returned from a field trip." Jaune said.

"It's no problem comman-, Mr. Arc." Drew spoke.

"Actually I believe I've only met Drew. Please introduce yourselves. I'm Summer Rose, Ruby's mother." Summer introduced.

"I'm Layne." Layne answered.

"Preston." Preston said simply.

"My name is Dakota." Dakota said.

"I see. I teach advanced survival tactics at the school." Summer said.

After everyone introduced themselves and got somewhat acquainted, Ozpin then gave Delta their schedule.

"You will be introduced as first years. All first years have the same schedule. So you will be in the same classes as other first years. This includes professors Port, Oobleck, Arc, and Goodwitch. All of the people in this room are aware of your origins. That being said, we will do our best to get you up to speed on Remnant. Are there any questions that you still have?" Ozpin explained.

"What about combat? We don't have auras, so won't it be a problem for us in Mrs. Goodwitch's class?" Drew asked.

"You aren't the first students to come to Beacon without an aura. So you will just have to suck it up and hope you don't accidentally get killed by someone." Goodwitch replied.

"What about missions?" Preston asked.

"What kind of missions?" Ozpin asked.

"I believe Preston is inquiring about recon and personal missions. Correct me if I'm wrong." Jaune said. Preston nodded at Jaune confirming his analysis.

"Like the rest of the students, you will be required to stay at Beacon during school weeks. Weekends can be used as you would like." Ozpin answered.

"What of our armor and weapons? No offense, but I feel weird without it. Our armor is like a second skin." Drew asked.

"Mr. Arc has expressed his own concerns when it comes to this matter. Understandably you would want to keep what is familiar to you. However, given that it gives you a severe advantage, you will have to live without it." Ozpin stated.

"What if we are recognized?" Layne asked.

"I assume you mean that some first years that might recognize you from the crash site?" Summer questioned.

"Yes." Layne said.

"Don't worry. I've made sure that anyone you have had contact with has been told to keep quiet about your identities." Ozpin answered.

"I don't believe we have any further questions headmaster." Dakota said.

"Very well then, if that is all, you are free to leave." Ozpin said.

"Sweet, hey will there be any more paperwork?" Drew asked.

"If there is, I'll send it to you." Jaune replied.

"What about these three?" Drew asked while pointing at the other members of Delta.

"You're their leader, you get to deal with the paperwork" Jaune said with a grin.

"But, but." Drew tried to complain but was grabbed by Layne and Preston and dragged out of the room.

"That was mean." Summer said.

"No, it isn't. John had to deal with paper while in command of Blue Team, I figured it would only be fair if he has too as well." Jaune said.

"What kind of paperwork?" Summer asked with a raised eyebrow.

"The military kind." Jaune said simply.

"Oh joy." Summer said sarcastically. "That must've been fun."

"I wouldn't know, I only handled a small amount for myself." Jaune said.

"So, what did you do?" Summer asked.

"Ammo and weapon requisitions." Jaune said.

"And now?" Summer asked.

"School paperwork, mostly grading assignments." Jaune replied.

"Welcome to the family Jaune." Summer said.

"I feel so welcomed." Jaune said sarcastically, but lightheartedly giving everyone a small smile and or laugh.

Moving forward to Tuesday, team CFVY was eating some breakfast in the cafeteria, while there wasn't a rule to eat in the cafeteria, it was generally done so the limited number of staff didn't have hunt down food scraps. They also attract bugs. This morning, they were enjoying an early meal since they had a mission to attend to, however, a group of four people walked. When they walked in, Velvet immediately identified them.

"That's them." She said.

"Who?" Fox, the blind man, asked.

"The people I told you all about yesterday." Velvet said.

"Really now," Coco said, she needed to have some words with these likely students.

Moving her thumb and middle finger to her mouth while Velvet covered her ears, she blew and made a loud whistling sound getting everyone's attention. When the four of them turned to her, she gestured with her hand to come over here. A few minutes later, trays in hand, they sat down opposite them.

"So what was with the whistle?" One of them asked. "Also hi Velvet."

"I wanted to talk to you." Coco said as Velvet waved back.

"About?" The same one asked.

"Well, I can start asking for your names." Coco said.

"I'm Drew, this is Layne, Preston, and Dakota." Drew introduced.

"Good, now then Layne, why did you help our resident bun bun?" Coco asked. Immediately Velvet went red and covered her eyes with her rabbit ears.

"Never been a fan of racists, I wanted to give them a piece of my mind." Layne said.

"It's good that someone said enough was enough, the staff usually don't intervene unless someone is seriously hurt, and as painful as it is, pulling on Velvet's ear doesn't do long-term physical damage." Yatsuhashi said

"That's what Professor Arc told us as well, although he takes a more... hands-on approach." Drew said.

"You know the professor?" Coco asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, he's the one that got us our paperwork so we can start attending the academy." Drew said.'

"You're not currently attending?" Coco asked.

"Not yet. The paperwork has been sent and the headmaster is giving us a week to get ready." Drew explained.

"Ahh, I assume that you aren't from Vale then." Yatsuhashi said.

"No we aren't, umm," Drew started.

"My name is Yatsuhashi Daichi, I'm Coco's partner." Yatsuhashi said while indicating to Coco.

"Ah, and who is the other guy?" Drew asked.

"He's Fox Alistair, he's Velvet's partner." Coco said.

"Ok, well is there anything we need to know as first years?" Layne asked.

"Don't expect to see Professor Peach, I can count the number of times all four of us has seen her on one hand." Coco said.

"I can't tell if she's being serious." Preston said.

"Have you guys done an initiation yet?" Yatsuhashi asked.

"I don't know. I mean we were just on a difficult mission with Professor Arc, so that may count." Drew said with uncertainty.

"I see, what was this mission exactly?" Yatsuhashi asked.

"We undertook a mission deep into grimm territory, that's actually where we met him." Drew explained.

"What was your home called?" Coco asked.

"Reach. They talked about it yesterday." Velvet said.

"Reach huh? What's it like?" Coco asked.

"Not much of anything now. It was ravaged by the grimm." Drew half lied. "Although in its prime, the mountains were beautiful and the main city was gorgeous. It was on a cliff face and actually went over the side of the cliff, it let us see anyone that wanted to harm us."

"You said was, what happened to it?" Velvet asked.

"Once the grimm overran the city, we detonated charges under the city, the only other population centers outside the city were small farming villages, so most of our people were already dead when it fell down the mountain." Drew said.

"That's, sad. Did anyone come to help?" Velvet asked, her face reflected how everyone was feeling: sad.

"No. We were too far away and we were an isolationist community, so we didn't have much contact with the outside world until it was far too late." Drew said.

"I'm sorry to hear that, the worst that can happen to anyone is to lose one's home." Yatsuhashi said.

"That sounds about right. What about you guys, how long have you been here?" Layne asked.

"We're second-year students. So we won't be having the same classes." Velvet said.

"Assuming we have enough time to actually be in the same classes." Coco said.

"Second years have it hard?" Drew asked.

"The jump in difficulty is very high between the various years, but the biggest leap is the start of your second year." Yatsuhashi explained.

"Sounds like fun." Preston said half sarcastically.

"I hope that was pure sarcasm, the first years have an illusion of how things work, during your second year, that's stripped away." Coco said.

"And we watched a city die, innocence is not a way to describe us." Drew said.

"Never said you were. I believe you, but these kids haven't seen what you've seen." Coco said.

"It's a dark place out there, we need to make our own light." Drew said.

"Can you two not be so dark please?" Velvet pleaded.

"Why? They can take it." Coco said.

'You have no idea' Drew thought to himself. "You wanna know something interesting, things only get darker the further you get from the main cities, the beaten path is the darkest, but has the most rewards." Drew said.

"And that darkness is closing on the cities all the time." Yatsuhashi said.

"And it's our job to give a nice big 'Fuck You!'" Drew said with middle fingers. Everyone at the table couldn't help but laugh.

"That about sums up what we do." Coco said.

"Well, what's the worst that can happen?" Preston said.

"Sudden shortening of our lifespan, limb loss, you know nothing important." Drew said sarcastically.

"And if our job is done right, then this won't happen." Preston said.

"What's the likelihood that we do our job completely right?" Drew asked.

"What exactly is your job?" Coco asked.

"The same as yours." Drew replied.

"We'll see if you got what it takes." Coco challenged.

"We should be going soon, Professor Port doesn't like people being late." Yatsuhashi said.

"That's right, he's needed our help with something and we can't be late. Loved talking to you guys, we should do this again." Coco said as both she and her team get up.

"Agreed, we'll be around somewhere." Drew said while his team stayed put.

"So, what now?" Dakota asked.

"Now he fucking talks!" Preston and Drew yell out.

Several hours later, a group of students was gathered outside in one of Beacon's courtyards, all with running clothes and water bottles. "Now I promised you all a nice run, so, here you are. Your only assignment is to complete two laps around the academy at the least, after that, you'll keep doing laps at your own pace." Jaune said.

"What about you professor?" Weiss asked.

"I'll be running along with everyone, a nice run won't hurt anyone." Jaune replied.

"Do we have to run all out it?" Ruby asked.

"As much as you can." Jaune said. "We start now." He said, causing everyone to run forward. Waiting a few minutes, he joins them. After passing a majority of the class, he sees Pyrrha ahead of the pack. "Naturally a good runner?"

"A little, it was something I could do in my little free time." Pyrrha said.

"Running allows me to collect my thoughts, organize the mess known as my brain." Jaune said.

"I find that I'm able to reflect on everything I had done in the day." Pyrrha said.

"Basically the same as me." Jaune said.

"You ever do much running back home?" Pyrrha asked.

"In Arcadia, not really. After I was kidnapped, yes. There was a lot of serious training, and running like this something we could use to unwind from the more serious training, let tempers calm down." Jaune said.

"What was your training like?" Pyrrha asked.

"Straightforward and to the point. If you lacked in something, you trained in that area, unless we had a training mission in the field, which was uncommon." Jaune replied.

"What about when you were in Arcadia, what did you do there?" Pyrrha asked.

"To be honest, I don't remember. I remember small bits of training with wooden swords, and reading on the actions of my ancestors." Jaune said after a few moments of silence.

"Was a lot of it lost?"

"Elaborate please." Jaune said.

"Was a lot of things you learned lost or reinforced?" Pyrrha asked.

"Combat-wise, certainly reinforced, outside? Reinforced isn't the correct term. I learned more examples of leadership and the leaders behind them, and their flaws." Jaune said.

"Do you remember any of them?"

"Yes, but you wouldn't have heard of them." Jaune said.

"Why is that?"

"That's... not an easy question to answer. They were in places that the kingdoms never heard about. But one story was that over two thousand years ago, a force of 300 hundred held off a force of tens of thousands." Jaune said, referencing the Battle of Thermopylae.

"What were they called?"

"Spartans, an ancient and extinct warrior people." Jaune said.

"Why'd they die out?"

"Many reasons, time, stronger warriors, the grimm. Too many reasons to count. Two thousand years between us and them." Jaune said.

"Anything else?" Pyrrha asked after about ten minutes of silence between them.

"There's the time that a smaller force surrounded and annihilated a larger enemy army. What about you? Got any interesting stories?" Jaune asked.

"Not really, all of my time was training or fighting in tournaments. I really didn't have any free time for myself." Pyrrha said.

"Sounds like how we were, all training, no fun." Jaune said.

"I suppose so. That's also why I came to Beacon, to get away from the pedistooI was put on." Pyrrha said.

"Why move it when you can shatter it? Prove there's more going on in there than what the public sees." Jaune asked.

"I didn't want what little private moments I had to be seen, I wanted to be the on to take off the mask." Pyrrha said.

"You were fearful of what they might see. And wanted to hold onto your privacy, I understand that." Jaune said.

"What would happen if people found out what you were doing?" Pyrrha asked.

"Heads would have rolled. We were children being forced into something we wanted nothing to do with, but learned to accept." Jaune said.

"What were you taught?" Pyrrha asked.

"You ever learn anything and ask yourself, 'Why was I taught this?'" Jaune answered and she nodded, "That sums up a lot of our training."

"I imagine you'll use some of it, you're teaching a class after all." Pyrrha said.

"And killing grimm." Jaune said.

"Can I ask you something?" Pyrrha asked.

"Sure." Jaune replied.

"Have you ever killed someone?" Pyrrha asked.

"Simple answer, yes. Long answer, yes. But that is not what I'm teaching you, I'm here to teach you how to fight grimm. There is a difference, however small it may be." Jaune said.

"What were you trained as?" Pyrrha asked.

"I'd rather not say. Despite what you may think, I'm not that comfortable going into details about my training. Let's just leave it at... it was brutal." Jaune said after a momentary pause. "What about you? What was your training like?"

"To the point I suppose. At first, it was just standard huntress training, until I fought in a tournament. It was my second or third that I was selected for a more prestigious championship." Pyrrha said.

"And things took off from there?" Jaune asked.

"Yes. After the minor championship, I got my first sponsorship and some of my first encounters with high-class society. After that, a lot of physical and aura training. I didn't get my semblance until my first major championship." Pyrrha explained.

"What was that like?"

"Intense. It was one my hardest fights until my last championship before I came to Beacon." Pyrrha answered.

"And what was your opinion of Beacon when you first saw it?" Jaune asked.

"To be honest, I was more worried that my status would follow me, so Beacon itself didn't surprise me. It also didn't help me that my mother showed me pictures of the academy." Pyrrha said.

"And now that you've had time to settle?" Jaune asked.

"I'm impressed, this school's training facilities are much better than anything back in Mistral." Pyrrha said.

"What is Mistral like? Never been there myself." Jaune asked after another ten minutes of running in silence.

"It's a beautiful city built into a mountain, with Haven Academy sitting at the top. The buildings running the kingdom are directly under it, and markets fill the space between it and the bottom. Though the markets are also homes as well." Pyrrha explained

"What are the arenas like?"

"Like any other arena, though without the ability to change terrains at will like in the Amity Colosseum." Pyrrha said.

"By the way, the first lap is done." Jaune said as they pass their starting point. Slowing their pace down to a fast jog, the two continue on with the next lap. "I have a question for ya, why did Cardin do what he did?"

"I, I don't know. Maybe because I corrected him in class?" Pyrrha asked more than said.

"What do you mean?"

"Well we were in Oobleck's class discussing part of The Great War, he said a racist remark after Jean said an incorrect answer directed at the faunus. I guess he took personality?" Pyrrha said.

"Someone who doesn't like his pride hurt, Oh, that's gonna get him killed sooner or later." Jaune said.

"I suppose so, he does have a prideful personality." Pyrrha said.

Unseen to either of them or the other students, they had spectators watching the run. "You wanna know the sad part about this, he can do a lap in ten or so minutes" Drew said.

"He's a having a conversation, so I don't think he cares." Bianca said.

"Also, why the hell are you down here in the first place? You don't work for Vale." Drew said.

"Vale and Arcadia loan each other's hunters, so I'm here on a mission. But I wasn't expecting this." She said, pointing at the class running laps.

"What? Your brother teaching, or these kids running?" Drew asked.

"The latter. We knew he taught here, I just never expected this." She said.

"You said that last part already." Drew pointed out.

"But what does he hope to gain from this?" She asked, ignoring his last comment.

"Pfffffft. Fuck if I know." Drew said.

"Of course not, why are you here?" She asked.

"Well, we're gonna be learning from this ticking time bomb in a week." Drew said.

"Ticking time bomb?" She asked.

"Oh come on. This school has an overabundance of weaponized sexual frustration with enough ordinance to supply a small army. Something is gonna blow at some point. Pun intended." Drew said.

Bianca couldn't help but roll her eyes at the shitty pun, but he was correct. "The sad part is, you're not fully incorrect. They do allow that to happen, so long as the staff doesn't catch ya."

"You know this how exactly?" Drew asked.

"I graduated from here, and Ozpin was the headmaster then." She said.

"Ahh. I guess that explains a few things. But who do you work for then?" Drew asked.

"Arcadia, I had my license transferred from Vale to Arcadia about a year after I graduated." She explained.

"Fair enough I suppose. So, what do you think of him teaching here?" Drew asked.

She had to think for a few moments, "I'm upset that he isn't teaching closer to home, but at the same time, I'm happy he's alive. Even if we have more questions than answers." Bianca said.

"I imagine you want those answered?" Drew asked.

"More than anything else, but... he's reluctant." She said.

"That's how we Spartans are. We're a closed group, if you're not our comrade, we'll be closed off to you." Drew explained.

"So, any ideas?" She asked.

"Not one. Other than fighting with him on the fields of battle against anything. The real sad part is he's more likely open to them," Drew said, indicating to the students. "He's more likely to open up to them."

"What about us? His family?" She asked.

"The same thing, though spending time around him might help with that problem. How'd you get him away from here is not my problem to solve. Though he may drag us there with him." Drew said.

"After the shit you pulled the one time you were there? I wish you luck there." She said.

"What? What'd I- Oh, that's what I did." Drew said before scratching the back of his head while laughing nervously.

"Yeah, that's what you did. I hope you don't show up." She said with a frown.

"I have more if you'd like to hear." Drew taunted.

"Don't you dare. Unless, of course, you don't mind getting your ass kicked repeatedly." Bianca threatened.

"Hey hey hey, I'm the one doing the ass-kicking, not the other way around. Unless you become Layne." Drew said, saying the last comment under his breath.

"What was that?" Bianca threatened, seeing Drew's lips move after the initial statement.

"Nothing'" Drew said.

"How'd they pass us!?" They heard someone scream out.

"Who was that?" Bianca asked.

"The Ice Queen." Drew said.

"Ohhh." She said quietly. 'Is she really freaking out over that?' She asked herself.

"Of course she would make a big deal over getting shown up. That "I'm better than you" attitude is gonna get her killed one of these days." Drew quickly gave Bianca a synopsis of the heiresses personality.

"Sounds like she needs a wakeup call." Bianca mused.

"Her and a teammate of mine. He can get full of himself and start acting recklessly." Drew said.

"Sorry to change topics so quickly, but why did you decide to attend Beacon. Surely there must have been alternatives for you to look into." Bianca asked.

"Honestly we didn't have much of a choice. The only person everyone in Delta really trusts is Jaune. Since he is here, it only makes sense to stick around. Besides I'm not gonna complain about having a technical base of operations with housing and food is a pretty good deal to me. Besides, all we really want is to leave. If it means learning everything we can in the process, then so be it." Drew said.

"I didn't realize you wanted to leave that badly and I'm aware of where you are from. After all, we thought Jaune was gone for good, but then he shows up with you guys after suddenly appearing right after he did. Also, my grandfather informed me of everything Jaune told him. I guess you do have a responsibility to make it back." Bianca droned on.

"We do. I don't care what you do or don't know, just make sure you keep quiet about it. The fewer attachments we make the easier it will be to move on. That's just the way it'll have to be." Drew said.

"I see…" Bianca trailed. "If it's any consolation to you, just know this talk has been rather, um, interesting."

"Thanks, I guess. I should probably head back to the others and make sure none of them killed one another." Drew said before turning and walking off in the direction of Delta's temporary residence.

Bianca was rather shocked about how fast Drew managed to get out of the conversation. It seemed like they could have talked longer, but he found an exit and took without hesitation. As she looked back towards where Jaune was running, he was nowhere in sight.

"Where is he?" She thought out loud.

"Where is who?" Nearly jumping out her skin, she turns to see Jaune walking up behind her.

"Where did you come from?" She asked.

"Over there." Jaune said, pointing his thumb behind him, at a bench with a small cooler with water bottles in it. "So what's up?"

"Came to visit you, I was surprised to see you out here running with your students." She said.

"Were you expecting me not to?" Jaune asked while turning to the students as team JNPR passes them.

"Honestly no, I shouldn't have been surprised. Anyways, mom has your package ready. It'll be in town in about a week.."

"Sweet. Delta will be happy." Jaune said.

"For?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Experimentation with weapons, see what we can do to them." Jaune said.

"Oh that's right, your weapons don't use Dust." She said with some realization.

"Exactly, we want to find out what the same amount of Dust will do in our bullet casings." Jaune said.

"What are you expecting?"

"Less stopping power, less range, less of everything to be honest." Jaune said.

"Do you not have any confidence in Dust little brother?" She asked.

"Mostly no, Earth had a lot of time to work on its gunpowder. A lot longer than Remnant has been using Dust." Jaune said.

"How long has gunpowder been a thing?"

"1700 years, at the least. We've had a long time to experiment with it." Jaune said.

"Wow, the earliest kingdoms showed up around 2000 years ago." Bianca said.

"So aside from telling me about my package, any other reason for the sudden visit?" Jaune asked.

"Not really, just a surprise visit, everyone wants to know how you guys are doing."

"Who exactly, me or Jean?" Jaune asked bluntly.

"You would believe me if said Jean?" Bianca asked while scratching the back of her head nervously.

"No, I wouldn't." Jaune said.

"They're worried you might run off again, Dad and Mom keep trying to tell them if you were gonna run off, you would've done it already." She said.

"And they're right, if I wanted to disappear I would've done it by now." Jaune said.

"What time is it by the way?"

"Hmm, about 12:30. Why?"

"My bullhead leaves in about five, so I need to get going." She said.

"Where are you going now?" He asked.

"I've got a mission out here they wouldn't be very happy with me if I didn't show up." She said as she starts turning away from him

"Happy hunting." Jaune said as she ran off. "Where would I go exactly?" He thought out loud.

"And tell Jean I visited for me!" She yelled.

"Will do!" He yelled back before running on the track again.

"Remind me how we got suckered into this?" Drew asked. About five days had passed since Bianca's visit, and Delta got dragged to Vale by Ruby for some reason, even though they were already going to Vale to get their own supplies.

"You guys are new to the kingdom, what better way to introduce you than the Vytal Festival?" Weiss asked.

"Remind us what the fuck that is again?" Drew asked.

"It's a celebration of the end of the Great War." Weiss said, ignoring his language.

"Ok. Well, we need to get our things here, so you ladies have fun with that." Drew said as he and Layne try to drag Preston and Dakota off somewhere else. The key word there: try.

"Nope, you guys are staying with us!" Ruby yelled as she drags the four Spartans with her team. As they pass under a sign saying: 'Welcome to Vale!'

"God Damnit!" Drew yelled as he's being dragged along as Weiss says something

"I don't think I've ever seen you smile this much." Ruby said as Weiss is very happy about something. "It's kinda weirding me out"

"That freaks me out too." Dakota whispered to Ruby after she let them go.

"How could you not smile, a festival dedicated to the cultures of the world?" Weiss asked.

"Umm, I don't have a gun, I don't have a tank. So, many things" Preston said.

"There's going to be dances, parades, a tournament. The amount of planning and organization going into this is simply breathtaking!" Weiss rambled on, ignoring Preston.

"And you made me want to sleep through it." Drew said.

"You really know how to take a good thing and make it sound boring." Yang said.

"Is it sad I'd rather do Pelican maintenance?" Preston asked.

"Nope." Drew and Layne said.

"Quiet you!" Weiss yelled.

"Remind me why we're spending time at the stupid docks?" Yang asked.

"It smells like fish." Ruby said while holding her nose.

"Also, we need to get some shit for our school year you know." Drew said.

"I've heard that students arriving from Vacuo will be arriving by ship today and as a representative of Beacon, I feel as though it is my solemn duty to welcome them to this fine kingdom." Weiss said as they looked at a ship in the harbor.

"She wants to spy on them, so she'll have the upper hand in the tournament." Blake said.

"Translation: I want to size up the competition for the tournament." Drew said to Ruby. However, Ruby wasn't listening.

"You can't prove that!" Weiss said crossed arms.

"Woah, what happened there?" Ruby asked. Turning to what Ruby was looking at, they all saw a store with broken windows and a busted in door with police tape on them and two detectives in front taking notes.

"What happened here?" Ruby asked after they got much closer.

"Robbery, second Dust shop hit this week. This place is turning into a jungle." One of the detectives remarked.

"That's terrible." Yang said.

"They left all the money again." One of the detectives said.

"Huh?" Ruby mumbled.

"It just doesn't make a lick of sense, who needs that much Dust anyways?" The same cop asked.

"I don't know, ya know what I mean?" The other cop asked.

"You thinking the White Fang?"

"I'm thinking we don't get paid enough." The other detective said as he takes off his glasses.

With Delta and RWBY, Delta had some level of raised eyebrows.

"Hmph. The White Fang. What an awful bunch of degenerates." Weiss commented.

"What's your problem?" Blake asked.

"My problem?" Weiss asked.

"Oh shit." Drew said, realizing what's about to come.

"I simply don't care for the criminally insane." Weiss continued.

"The White Fang is hardly a bunch of psychopaths. They're a collection of misguided faunus." Blake said.

"Is she bullshitting herself?" Preston asked Drew.

"Just let them bitch about it." Drew said back.

"Misguided!? They want to wipe humanity off the face of the planet!" Weiss said.

"Here's a little note to that Ice Queen, the only thing that can keep humans down, are other humans. Just sayin'" Drew said.

"So then they're 'very' misguided." Blake said, both of them ignoring Drew. "Either way, it doesn't explain why they would rob a Dust shop in the middle of downtown Vale."

"Hmm. Blake's got a point." Ruby said in defense of her teammate. "Besides, the police never caught that Torchwick guy I ran into a few months ago. Maybe it was him.

"That still doesn't change the fact that the White Fang are a bunch of scum. Those faunus only know how to lie, cheat, and steal." Weiss commented.

"That's not necessarily true." Yang said.

"Hey! Stop that faunus!" They heard someone yell out behind them. Quickly running over to the ship docked in harbor, they saw two sailors chasing a monkey faunus across the deck before he jumps onto the side of the ship.

"Thanks for the ride, guys! Hehe." He said before jumping off onto the pier and running down it.

"You no-good stow-away!" One of the sailors yell.

"Hey! A "no-good" stow-away would have been caught. I'm a great stow-away." He yelled back at them while hanging upside down from a light post as he peels a banana. However, he's forced to dodge a rock thrown at him. Below, the two detectives at the robbed Dust shop walked up towards him.

"Hey! Get down from there this instant." One of the said. The guys' response was to throw the empty banana peel on him. After swinging onto the top of the light post, he starts laughing mischievously before jumping off. Running off the pier with the two detectives behind him, he passes team RWBY and Delta. If one could slow time down, they could see him wink at Blake before passing for good.

"And, he's off." Drew said.

"Well Weiss, you wanted to see the competition," Yang remarked. "and there it goes." She said, mimicking Drew.

"Quick! We have to observe him!" Weiss yelled.

"Yes, let's start turning into stalkers." Drew said sarcastically as team RWBY ran off. "Well let's go after them."

However, Weiss ended up running into someone with both falling to the ground. "Good job Ice Queen." Drew said after Delta caught up.

"No! He got away!" Weiss yelled after looking up, not noticing the person under her.

"Uuuhh, Weiss…?" Yang asked before pointing at the girl under Weiss.

"Like I said, good fucking job." Drew said. The girl under her smile as she jumps back with some fear and surprise.

"Salutations!" She yelled from the ground.

"Um… hello." Ruby said with a little confusion.

"Are you… okay?" Yang asked.

"I'm wonderful. Thank you for asking." She said.

"Yet you're still on the ground." Drew said as team RWBY looked at each other in confusion.

"Do you… wanna get up?" Yang asked, clearly slightly weirded out by her behavior.

"Yes." She said before jumping off her back and onto her feet.

"Nice move." Drew said.

"Thank you, sir." She said.

"Don't ever call me sir again." Drew said as RWBY took a step back.

"My name is Penny. It's a pleasure to meet you!" Penny said, introducing herself.

"Hi Penny, I'm Ruby." Ruby said.

"I'm Weiss."

"Blake"

"Are you sure you didn't hit your head?" Yang asked causing Preston to lose his shit and start laughing. Blake hits Yang with her elbow. "Oh, I'm Yang."

"It's a pleasure to meet you!" Penny said as Preston falls to the ground. "Is he alright?" She asked as everyone looks at him.

"Yeah, he'll be fine. I'm Drew. That idiot is Preston." Drew said.

"I'm Layne."

"Dakota."

"You already said that" Weiss said, turning back to Penny.

"So I did!" Penny exclaimed.

"Well, sorry for running into you." Weiss said as they start turning around with Preston picking himself up off the ground.

"Take care, friend!" Ruby said with a wave before joining her team. If one was still looking at Penny, they could see her eyes widen in shock before she looks down at the ground slightly.

"She was… weird" Yang said after finding the right word.

"Now. Where did that faunus riffraff run off to." Weiss said. However, they all were stopped by Penny who somehow got in front of them.

"Wait, wasn't she back there?" Drew asked right as She says something

"What did you call me?" She asked with Weiss leaning back slightly.

"Oh, I'm really sorry, I definitely didn't think you heard me." Yang said as Weiss looked back at where she just was and back at her and pointing there.

"No, not you…" Penny said, "you!" She said as gets right in Ruby's face.

"Me?!" Ruby said as she leans back. "I-I don't know, I- what !- um,uh-"

"You called me "friend". Am I really your friend?" Penny asked.

"Geez, you ever hear about personal space?" Drew asked.

"Uummm…" Ruby said before looking at her team. All four of them were saying no with Drew while Preston was too busy trying not laugh, Dakota simply shrugged and Layne had a thumbs up. "Ya, sure! Why not?" Ruby asked. Her team had looks of shock before falling to the ground with Drew facepalming. Preston was once again on the ground laughing and Layne nodding in approval.

"Sen-satoinal!" Penny yelled while throwing her arms in the air and a very happy laugh. "We can paint our nails, and try on clothes, and talk about cute boys!" Drew then joined Preston on the ground with Layne starting to laugh and Dakota was on his scroll.

"Ooh, is this what it was like when you met me?" Ruby whispered to Weiss.

"No, she seems _far_ more coordinated." Weiss remarked.

"Soo, what are you doing in Vale?" Yang asked.

"I'm here to fight in the tournament." Penny said, surprising everyone present.

"Wait… you're fighting in the tournament?" Weiss asked.

"I'm combat ready!" Penny said with a salute.

"Aww, that's surprisingly cute." Layne said.

"Forgive me, but you hardly look the part." Weiss said.

"Says the girl wearing a dress." Blake commented.

"It's a "combat skirt," Weiss said back.

"Yeah!" Ruby said after quickly appearing next to Weiss.

"Nice high five" Drew said after they shared a crisp high five.

"If you're here for the tournament, does that mean you know that monkey-tailed… rapscallion?" Weiss asked as she grabbed Penny's shoulders.

"The who?" Penny asked.

"The filthy faunus from the boat!" Weiss said loudly as she showed a crudely drawn picture.

"Where the fuck did that come from?" Drew asked.

"Why do you keep saying that?" Blake asked.

"Huh?"

"Stop calling him a rapscallion. Stop calling him a degenerate. He's a person!" Blake yelled at Weiss.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Would you like me to stop referring to the trash can as a trash can, or this lamp post as a lamp post?" Weiss asked as she indicated to both of said objects.

"That's not the same thing Weiss." Drew said.

"Stop it!" Blake yelled.

"Stop what?" Weiss asked.

"Guys, please stop." Drew said, trying to stop them.

"He clearly broke the law. Give him time, he'll probably join up with those other faunus in the White Fang." Weiss said.

"You ignorant little brat!" Blake yelled, finally allowing her anger to boil out before she walks away.

"How dare you talk to me like that! I am your teammate." Weiss said before walking in the same direction as Blake.

"You guys are gonna have a fun night tonight Ruby." Drew said.

"You are a judgemental little girl." Blake commented to Weiss.

"What in the world makes you say that?" Weiss asks.

"Uhh, I think we should probably go." Yang said.

"The mere fact that you would sort that faunus boy with the terrorist group." Blake said in the background.

"Where are we going?" Penny asked, oblivious to the conflict.

"Solely based on his species makes you just as much of a scoundrel as you believe him to be." Blake continued.

"So you admit it; the White Fang 'is' just a radical group of terrorists." Weiss said.

"That's not what I meant and you know it." Blake said.

"We're going to get some things, see you four back at Beacon." Drew whispered into Yang and Ruby's ear before Delta walked off.

Several hours later, Delta returned to Beacon with backpacks full of things they'll need for Beacon, outside of combat at least.

"How did that mess earlier work out?" Drew asked.

"No idea-"

"Well, maybe we were just tired of being pushed around!" They heard Blake yelled.

"Nevermind." Drew said as they looked up to an open window. About five minutes later, Drew saw her at the statue in front of the Academy. In the five minutes, he had gathered his weapons up and walked up behind her. He watched as she slowly removed the bow from head to reveal a pair of cat ears.

"I knew you would look better without the bow." They heard.

"I second that." Drew said, making himself known.

This startled the two and both promptly reached for their weapons but stopped once Blake realized it was Drew and motioned for the other faunus to stand down.

"Why are you out here?" Blake asked, somewhat panicked.

"Well first off, why can't I be out here? It's not against the law and two, was to see how the whole situation was going. Clearly, I have my answers." Drew said.

"Listen you can't te-" Blake started.

"We won't. Your secret is safe with us." Drew interjected.

"Ok, then. So now that you know I'm a faunus, does that affect anything?" Blake asked referring to how Drew would treat her.

"You're joking, right? Also, I've known for a bit. When we first met, I thought it was odd that your bow twitches occasionally. After hearing about the faunus, I pieced two and two together. Where I'm from, skin tone or any other feature doesn't mean anything to us. All that matters is that you got my back if I watch yours." Drew said. As he finished his half monologue, the rest of Delta showed up and were promptly filled in on what happened.

"So you are a cat faunus, who used to be part of the white fang, defected, and now is attending school to help fight discrimination. Correct?" Preston asked.

"Yeah. That about sums it up." Blake confirmed. Layne was staring at Blake's ears much like she did with Velvet.

"So, what now?" The other faunus asked.

"Well, for starters you can tell us your name." Layne said.

"Oh, right! I'm Sun, I'm in from Haven." Sun said after introducing himself.

"Well, I suppose we go our separate ways for now, though we'll have to help find you, Blake." Drew said.

"Wait, why?" She asked.

"Blake, we were able to get dragged with your team to Vale, I think we'll get dragged into helping find you." Drew said.

"So, are you going to tell my team?" Blake asked.

"Do _you_ want us to?" Drew asked.

"No. I need some time away from them." Blake said sadly.

"Alright then. But if we're in Vale, we are gonna find you." Drew said, indicating to Delta.

"Thank you, Drew. I guess I'll see you soon." Blake said before turning to leave Beacon. Before Sun could follow, Drew grabs his shoulder.

"If shit hits the fan, use this to contact us." Drew said, giving Sun a modified scroll.

"Uhhhh, ok?" Sun asked before running to catch up with Blake.

"So what do we do?" Layne asked once they were out of listening range.

"We wait, they may not need our help at all, and our cargo should arrive this weekend, I'm sure the commander has something prepared.

"Good news Delta." Jaune said. Two days had passed since Blake had disappeared with nothing heard from her. "The package is coming today around dusk, Adler has been keeping an eye on our runaway, she and her companion are still in the city. And right now, they are unknowns. We are going to roll in force to secure the package. We'll need both to transport them, I'm not risking a ground convoy here, not with so many weapons in play."

"What's the plan then?" Drew asked.

"Drew and I will fly one Pelican in to find and secure the crates. The rest of you will take the other Pelican and wait for my word. Adler will take control of the Pelicans and hover them while we load them on. Any question?" Jaune asked.

"Will the Pelicans take the weight? There's at least a 100 tons of vehicle to move." Layne asked.

"Half of the warthogs and mongooses are one of the crates and the other half in another, and most of the weapons are in the crate with the Scorpion. Oh yeah, we're also getting a Scorpion." Jaune said.

"We're getting a Scorpion? Oh yes." Preston said.

"Is that wise?" Layne asked.

"We'll find out. As for moving them, the Pelicans should be able to. We'll take things nice and slow once we get airborne. If anyone makes a hostile move when we're either airborne or ground side you cleared to engage at your discretion." Jaune said.

"Dusk you said, we've still got at least three hours." Drew said.

"I know. We'll be fully suited up for this, so we're going in now Drew." Jaune said. His tone left no room for argument on Drew's part.

"Yes, sir. Where will we be inserting?" Drew asked.

"Abandoned warehouses, close enough to walk to the docks without being seen. Just be on the lookout for criminal elements." Jaune said.

"Should be a walk in the park then." Drew said.

"Keep it that way. The rest of you, suits on in two hours, be airborne after that, I'll inform the other staff that we're moving out. Any other questions?" No one said anything. "Let's move out." Jaune said as he and Drew walk into the armor room.

The armor was in the sizeable basement where the two armor racks were set up, along with maintenance benches for the individual armor pieces. This is also where most of the weapons they'll be getting will be going, once they arrive. Next to the armor racks was weapon racks where everyone's preferred weapons are held.

Once in their armor and after retrieving their weapons, the two Spartans walked out to the where the Pelicans were being held. While the week progressed, the four Spartans had expanded on the main building. There was a large second building that Delta had finished building with Ozpin helping them fund it. Don't ask why. Next to them is an area surrounded by camouflage nets that Preston had set up. And all of this is out of the main student bodies view because of their home.

Once in the Pelican, Jaune sits in the pilot's seat with Drew behind him. "You good back there?" Jaune asked.

"Yeah." Drew replied.

"Adler how we doing?"

" _The cargo vessel is still moving. I've been piggy-backing off of Vale's radar system to track it. I'll be masking your signatures."_ Adler replied.

"Good. Alert us if anything airborne comes towards us." Jaune said.

" _Acknowledged."_

"Where will we be setting this thing down?" Drew asked.

"Somewhere in the warehouse district, don't you pay attention?" Jaune asked.

"I do, and I thought you said it was abandoned." Drew replied.

"Most of it is, we'll be setting down in that area. Adler, be ready to take control." Jaune said as he lifts the Pelican into the air.

Several minutes into the flight, Jaune's scroll starts ringing. "Hello?" He asked.

" _Professor, we need your help."_ Jaune heard, it was Ruby.

"I'm sorry Miss Rose, but I'm out on business at the moment with Drew." He replied.

" _Aww, can't you please help us_?" She pleaded.

"I'm sorry Ruby, we will be in Vale though, we'll keep our eyes open." Jaune said, trying to be of a little help.

" _Ok professor, thanks."_ She said sadly before hanging up.

"You know she really wants our help, right?" Drew asked.

"You gave the other one a tracker?" Jaune asked.

"No, I gave him a way to contact us if shit hit the fan." Drew corrected. "I have a rather bad feeling about this commander."

"How so?" Jaune asked.

"Sir if you don't mind me prying, how familiar are you with Kurt? After all, you two trained together." Drew asked.

"Frankly, I don't know all that much, he was good all around and proved himself a very capable leader. Why do you ask?" Jaune answered.

"Well for starters, Kurt was the one who trained us. See we weren't initially Delta. We were Gamma. Deemed to important to waste, we were put on a specialized Spartan team. That is why we have Mjolnir. Kurt, as far as I am aware, had this uncanny sixth sense of knowing when something wasn't right. He noted that I seemed to share that trait. So I'm more than certain something is about to happen." Drew explained.

"So you're telling me that I should expect trouble because you have a feeling?" Jaune asked.

"Basically." Drew replied.

"Listen, Lieutenant, I don't care about your feeling. Besides, I highly doubt we couldn't handle anything thrown at us." Jaune criticized.

" _Commander, I hate to interrupt, however, Drew does have a 100% record on things going wrong. To be precise, he is currently 287 out of 287. I advise heeding his advice_." Adler spoke up.

"Doesn't matter. We have a shipment to pick up and I'm not gonna leave it here overnight." Jaune said.

"Fine, but I'm gonna say I told you so when it's over." Drew said before silence reigned through the rest of the flight.

True to his word, the two had landed in a warehouse with a collapsed roof with several armed men around them, "Now what are you two doing here?" One asked.

"Fuck off." Drew said.

"Now listen here, this is our home, you will answer my question." The same man said.

Jaune simply grabbed him by the collar. "Try me." He warned. The other two wavered in their conviction before turning and running. Jaune simply threw the man in his hands onto a wall, knocking him and the wall out. "Adler, lift off. Let's not take any chances here."

The two got outside as the Pelican lifted off behind them. "We have daylight to burn, let's move." Jaune said.

"Finally, she speaks! Nearly two days and you've given me nothing but small talk and weird looks." Sun said with Blake simply giving him a glare. The two were sitting in a small tea shop somewhere in Vale. "Ya! Like that."

"Sun… are you familiar with the White Fang?" Blake asked after looking to the side for a brief moment.

"Of course! I don't think there's a faunus on the planet who hasn't heard of them. Stupid holier-than-thou creeps that use force to get what they want. Bunch of freaks if you ask me." Sun answered.

"I was… once a member of the White Fang." Blake said, causing Sun to inhale some of the tea he was drinking and starts coughing.

"Wait a minute, _you_ were a member of the White Fang?" Sun asked.

"That's right. I was a member for most of my life actually. You could almost say I was born into it. Back then, things were different. In the ashes of war, the White Fang was meant to be a symbol of peace and unity between humans and the faunus. Of course, despite being promised equality, the faunus were subjected to discrimination and hate in most kingdoms. Humanity still thought of us as lesser beings. And so, the White Fang rose up as a voice of our people. And I was there. I was at the front of every rally. I took part in every boycott. And I actually thought we were making a difference. But I was just a youthful optimist… Then, five years ago, our leader stepped down, and a new took his place. A new leader with a new way of thinking. Suddenly our peaceful protests were being replaced with organized attacks. We were setting fire to shops that refused to serve us. Hijacking cargo from companies that used faunus labor. And the worst part was? It was working. We were being treated like equals. But not out of respect… out of fear." Blake explained before taking another sip of tea while her words set in.

"It almost cost us the only kingdom that treated us as equals since before the war: Arcadia. So I left. I decided I no longer wanted to use my skills to aid in their violence. And instead, I would dedicate my life to becoming a Huntress. So here I am. A criminal hiding in plain view. All with the help of a little, black bow." Blake finished as she moved her bow using the ears underneath.

"So… have you told your friends any of this?" Sun asked quietly and with understanding. Blake only closed her eyes for a few moments before looking back at Sun. Overhead, they heard a bullhead of unknown design fly overhead, one that only Blake recognized.

"So, what's the plan now?" Sun asked. In the hour or so that had passed since Blake gave a monologue to Sun, the pair of faunus were now walking down a street in Vale with Sun's hands behind his and slightly leaned back.

"I still don't believe the White Fang is behind these robberies. They've never needed that much dust before." Blake said.

"What if they did?" Sun asked, moving his hands from behind his head. "I mean… the only way to prove that they didn't do it, is to go to the place where they would most likely fo if they were to do it, and not find them there… right?" Sun asked as he moved in front of Blake.

"The only thing is, I have no idea where that would be." Blake said.

"Well, while I was on the ship, I heard some guys talking about offloading a _huge_ shipment of Dust coming in from Atlas." Sun said.

"How huge?" Blake asked.

" _Huge_. Big Schnee Company freighter." Sun said, showing with his arms by stretching them out as far as he can. Blake was only slightly convinced.

"You're sure?" Blake asked. Sun simply nodded.

Several hours later, after the sun had set, Jaune and Drew were sitting on top a building in the docks, overlooking the area with all the cargo. "Well, that's interesting, look at the top of that building." Drew said, indicating to the roof of another building overlooking the cargo area.

"Hmm, what are you two doing here?" Jaune asked. They were looking at Sun and Blake, however, Sun runs off somewhere.

"Where'd he go?" Drew asked.

"Stay here. I'm gonna go have a chat." Jaune said, as he moves towards her.

"Hungry?" Sun asked.

"Not really. They've offloaded all the crates from the boat. Now they're just sitting there." Blake said.

"Quite strange ain't it?" Jaune asked from behind, startling the two faunus. "And I'll pass Mr. Wukong, I've already eaten."

"What are you doing here professor?" Blake asked as she looks back over the docks.

"Wait, professor?" Sun asked as Jaune walked next to them and crouched next to Blake.

"Later. You can call me Jaune." Jaune said.

"Cool. I stole you some food." Sun said without thinking.

"Do you always break the law without a second thought?" Blake asked with a raised eyebrow and Jaune simply glaring at the monkey faunus.

"Hey, weren't you in a cult or something?" Sun asked. Blake simply gave him a dirty look.

"I wouldn't call them a cult." Jaune said. "Do you see our crates?" He asked using his internal comms.

" _Nah, I do see a lot of SDC crates though."_ Drew replied, causing Jaune to miss Sun's next comment. Above, them a large torrent of air goes past them as a bullhead flies over them with two searchlights illuminating the area.

"I'm not liking this." Jaune said.

"I'm with you on that." Sun said as the bullhead touched down. A ramp drops down allowing several White Fangs member step out.

" _Permission to engage?"_ Drew asked

"Negative, hold your fire, let's see what they do." Jaune said.

"Who are you talking to?" Sun asked.

"Oh no." Blake said in despair as she recognized the White Fang members.

"Is that them?" Sun asked. Jaune noted that these members had the organization's symbol on their back.

"Yes. It's them." Blake replied.

"Alright, grab the tow cables." The only armed White Fang member said from inside the bullhead.

"You really didn't think they were behind it, did you?" Sun asked.

 _"Welcome to the real world, Blake._ " Drew said, though she didn't hear him. She was too focused on the White Fang.

"No. I think deep down I knew. I just didn't want to be right." Blake said.

"Hey! What's the holdup?" They all heard. "We're not exactly the most inconspicuous bunch of thieves at the moment, sooo why don't you animals try to pick up the pace." This human said.

" _Who is this mega faggot?"_ Drew asked. This time, Blake and Sun heard him.

"This isn't right. The White Fang would never work with a human. Especially not one like that." Blake said.

 _"Commander, we are airborne and one mike from the docks, over."_ Preston called.

"Be advised, we have White Fang at the docks with Roman Torchwick. Prepare to use lethal force Delta." Jaune said.

"Ummm, lethal force? Is that necessary?" Sun asked.

"We have something down there we need to recover. We're getting it whether they like it or not." Jaune replied as he pulls out his DMR. By this point, Blake was standing and armed.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" Sun called out as she jumped down. Behind him, Sun saw two more strange bullheads approach from behind.

After jumping down to another building, she uses the crates as cover as she closes on Roman. Sun was about to jump down when he's stopped by Jaune. "Not yet, let her break her cover before joining in the mess. I'd also get armed if I were you." He said.

"No you idiot! This isn't a leash!" Roman yelled at a White Fang member who was holding a tow cable. Blake was behind him, hiding behind a crate. "What the-? Oh for f-" He starts with rolled eyes.

"Nobody move!" Blake yells. Which causes most if not all of the White Fang members to pull some kind of weapon out.

"Woah! Take it easy there little lady." Roman said as the White Fang start to surround them. She then removes her bow.

"Brothers of the White Fang. Why are you aiding this scum?" She asks them, causing them to look at each other.

"Heh, oh kid. Didn't you get the memo?" Roman asked.

"What are you talking about?" Blake says.

"The White Fang and I are going in on a joint business venture together." Roman says.

"Tell me what it is or I'll put an end to your little operation." Blake says as pushes her sword against Roman's neck

"I wouldn't exactly call it a little operation." Roman says as at least two more bullheads arrive.

"This is going sideways fast! Drew fire at your discretion!" Jaune yells as an explosion blows Blake away from Roman. In the air, Layne sees the smoke caused by the explosion from the docks.

"Prepare for fast insert Delta!" She yells back.

Back at the docks, Blake is dodging fire coming from Roman. "Here kitty, kitty, kitty." Roman says before a banana peel lands on his hat. Behind suppressed fire starts coming in from another location.

"Woohoo!" Sun yells as he jumps in from above. He lands on Romans head before rolling away from the criminal. "Leave her alone" He warns as the other two bullheads land and unloads troops. Behind him, the two Pelicans unload their Spartans.

"You are not the brightest banana in the bunch, are ya kid?" Roman asks as the White Fang charge Sun. Quickly knocking one down, rolling under another before taking him down as well as a third. A fourth one charges him and he pulls out a staff and knocks him to the ground. Then swings it around quickly knocking down another two then using it to knock the feet out from another.

When Blake turns back around, she sees Sun roll over the head of the last fighter and pushing his staff down on his back. Using his momentum, he sends him flying towards Roman who ducks under the thrown faunus. Roman fires three shots at Sun who spins his staff around and blocks the incoming fire.

"He's mine!" Blake yells as she jumps between Roman and Sun. She then quickly closes the distance and starts slashing at Roman who was able to parry her every strike. She then uses her clone semblance to very quickly jump around him and hit. However, her first mistake was stopping where she started which allowed Roman to quickly regain his footing and strike her. He uses his cane to push her sword up which leaves her open to attack. Quickly knocking her back with several fast strikes to her chest and head.

Sun then quickly jumps in who transformed his staff into two nunchucks with shotguns on the ends. He uses the nunchucks in a very fast attack speed with the firepower of a lever action shotgun at the ends to very quickly pour fire onto Roman. Surprisingly, however, Roman was able to deflect all the incoming fire with just as fast blocks of his own. As Sun tosses one nunchuck in the air and uses the other to force Roman's cane up allowing Blake to hit him back.

While on one of his knees, Roman spots a crate hanging above them. Quickly standing to his feet, he aims and fires at the crate, causing it to fall. The two jumps away from the falling crate in two different directions. While Sun was on his hands and knees, Roman holds his cane behind him.

"Hey!" They all heard. As Sun turned to face Roman.

"Oh, hello Red! Isn't past your bedtime?" Roman asked as Ruby appeared with Crescent Rose.

"Ruby? Are these people your friends?" Penny asked from behind. Roman wasn't able to see Penny, but as soon as Ruby turned her head, he fired a shot at her and hit her, sending her flying back. However, he is stopped when something massive charges him with an SMG.

"What the hell are you?" Roman asked as the thing fires at him, he is able to fire a round at her. Most of the round are nullified midair, after expending its magazine, it charges him and throws him over its shoulder and into a crate.

"Get up." She said to Sun, she because it had a female voice. As Sun gets to his feet, another combatant enters the fray. She had about nine swords hovering behind her, which she uses to quickly take down another four White Fang members.

"Jesus, what is with this planet?" Drew asked as she takes down more White Fang members.

" _I wish I could tell you_ " Jaune replied as Penny used her swords as a ninja star and throws them at about a dozen White Fang members. However, three more bullheads arrived and they started firing on her with chin-mounted Gatling guns. Two more swords appear from her back with basically invisible strings attached to them and sends them into the building she just jumped from. Using them to form a circle with the tips pointing outwards, she gets the spin quickly and creates a laser that cuts two of the bullheads in half. The White Fang members inside somehow survive and fall to ground while the halves of the bullheads continue to fly forward and land in the water with huge columns of water sent in the air as a result.

"Woah. How is she doing that?" Ruby asked as Penny sent her swords into the final bullhead and tries to bring it down. However, a barrage of missiles is sent into the bullhead and the airspace is filled two of the aircraft that Ruby saw Jaune and Drew use before.

"These kids just keep getting weirder!" Roman yells to himself as he boards the last bullhead. Both the bullhead Roman is on and another surviving bullhead manages to dodge several more barrages of missiles sent by one of the Pelicans.

"Area clear." Jaune says as he jumps down from his firing position. "Get our crates and get out. I'll have a talk with them." He says, indicating to his students.

"Hey, Commander!" Drew yelled. "I told you so! 288 out of 288!"

"I could ask what you're doing here Miss Rose," Jaune starts while taking off his helmet, "But I think I already know the answer."

"So, are we in trouble?" Ruby asked nervously.

"Ruby, I think I would be in trouble with you." Jaune said.

"Are some of them gonna get up?" Sun asked, indicating to the to mirrade of White Fang members.

"Some might. Some might not. Depends on the damage we inflicted upon them." Jaune said.

About an hour later, Weiss and Blake show up to the mess. Ruby, Sun, Blake, and Penny were all sitting on some wooden crates had been thrown by all the fighting. Jaune however, was nowhere around.

"Look, Weiss, it's not what you think she explained the whole thing you see she doesn't actually wear a bow she has kitty ears and they are actually kinda cute." Ruby said very quickly. However, Weiss walks past her and has a small stare off with Blake who was also on her feet.

"Weiss. I want you to know that I'm no longer associated with the White Fang. Back when I was with-"

"Stop" Weiss interjected. "Do you have any idea how long we've been searching for you?" She asked. "Twelve hours. That means I've had twelve hours to think about this. And in that twelve hours I've decided…" Weiss said before pausing and taking a step forward. Everyone was now looking at them, and Jaune was behind Yang.

"I don't care!"

"You don't care?" Blake asked.

"You said you're not one of them anymore, right?" Weiss asked.

"No, I-I haven't been since I was younger-"

"Upupupupup! I don't wanna hear it." Weiss interjected again. "All I want to know is that the next time something this big comes up, you'll come to your teammates, and not some, someone else." Weiss said, momentary looking at Sun.

Blake also looked at Sun for a moment before looking back at Weiss then wiping away a small tear. "Of course." She said.

"Yeah! Team RWBY is back together!" Ruby yelled, causing everyone around to smile a little bit. Everyone gathers in a small circle, well, everyone except for Jaune and Penny.

"I'm still not sure what to think about you!" Weiss said while pointing at Sun who laughed nervously

"I'm glad you got that out." Jaune said, finally making himself known.

"Professor?" Weiss asked in surprise. They were surprised to see Jaune in full armor. "How long have you been there?" She asked.

"For all of it. That was touching and resolved this little crisis. Well done." Jaune complemented.

"Hey, wait a minute. Where's Penny?" Ruby asked, finally noticing Penny was gone.

Meanwhile, Ozpin was going over footage from security cameras that captured the entire fight and the aftermath several hours earlier before receiving a message from Qrow saying: 'Queen has pawns.'

Around the same time, Roman was walking into a warehouse that was empty with a small case before setting it down on a table.

"How very disappointing, Roman." A female said from behind.

"Woah! Haha… Wasn't expecting to see you guys so soon." Roman said.

"We were expecting… more from you." She said simply and dangerously.

Roman laughed nervously at her statement, "Hey, you were the ones who suggested working with those stupid mutts from the White Fang." Roman said in defense.

She could only snicker in response. "And you will continue to do so." She said as she forms a flame in her hand.

"We have big plans for you, Roman. All we ask is a little cooperation." She said, her eyes now glowing orange as she and her two unseen companions walking into view.

 **Sorry about the long wait guys, I've been having a hard time having an urge to write. So, happy late Thanksgiving.**


	21. New Semester

So, I'm rewriting this intro part since I started this about the time of the FCC's decision about Net Neutrality. So far, I haven't seen any changes to the deals so, yeah. Also, some shit has gone down in my personal life. Also, for the Team Bandit fans that are here, I have started work on the second chapter but don't have a time on when it will be published.

Also yay! Winter my favorite season is here. Late Happy Holidays and Happy New Year cuz this won't be going up until after January is over with! -Drew

Winter is a time of thought and reflection, a time for family and a time for peace. Also, a time to stay inside neglect adulthood duties and to play tons of video games and stay inside! Also, Happy Whatever you guys celebrate and Happy New Year! -Andrew

Now then, for the reviews;

Artyom-Dreizehn: Fair enough I suppose, though I should've and could've done better there.

Infected Marine: As for the original chapters, I have no idea what I did with them, (they're probably in a flash drive somewhere).

Onto the chapter.

"Audio log, fuck if I know the date UNSC side, 2552. 0532 local time. I've been too preoccupied with other matters demanding my attention to continue these logs, however, I've managed to find time to do this one. So, let's start near the beginning, UNSC Spartan III fireteam Delta has been enrolled as Team Dew Drop Purple or DDPL. Officially, Spartans Drew D-07 and Dakota D-08 are paired while Preston D-29 and Layne D-14 are paired, although anyone that knows the Spartan Program knows that any Spartan will work with their other teammates just fine. Officially, their initiation into Beacon was done during the missions at Crash Site Bravo, however, they will likely need to undergo some kind of mission to prove themselves in the eyes of the other students. Although, if myself and Headmaster Ozpin have our way, this will never happen. Weapon wise, our arsenal is large enough to equip a small army with light armored support. One tank, ten warthogs and twenty mongeese and more small arms than I care to count. However, one of the conditions of attending Beacon will be that Delta will not be allowed to wear their armor unless otherwise allowed to by myself. I made this clear to Ozpin that I will have the final word regarding this.

In other news, at the end of last semester we learned that we have a White Fang defector inside Beacon, still firmly on our side for the time being, however. I'm having Adler watch her electronic footprint for the time being. Moving to Delta's housing, it's an old, unused guest building or something that's two stories tall with a sizeable basement. It _was_ something for visiting VIPs that no one used anymore or care about for the foreseeable future. It's also out of the way, anyone that wants to see what they're up to, they'll have to go out of their way to do so. Behind the building is the main vehicle yard surrounded by a two-meter tall wall. What else they've done with it is beyond me at this current time. Also, speaking of semesters, they use an American style of semesters where they go two full semesters then a winter break or an equivalent." However, before he could continue, he was interrupted.

"Hey, you got a minute?" Summer asked, after opening the door.

"Sure, let me finish up here." He replies before looking back at his scroll. "So much for continuing this, I'll finish this another time. Arc-034 signing off." He says before ending the recording.

Outside his dorm, Summer and Qrow were waiting for him, both having some level of concern on their faces. "Aren't you supposed to be in Vacuo?" He asked as he pointed at Qrow.

"No, I-we wanted to talk about last night." Qrow said, referring to himself and his wife.

"About Ruby being at the docks?" Jaune asked.

"Yeah, about her being at the docks." Qrow replied.

"She wasn't there under my supervision, she just showed up after the fighting started. I'm not the one to ask why." Jaune said.

"We… figured that. We wanted to know if she got involved." Summer said.

"She was hit once by Torchwick at a range of 50 plus meters. She wasn't able to actively participate in combat." Jaune continued.

"Only once?" Summer asked, slightly confused.

"It was a good shot actually, she had a higher elevation than Torchwick. Though she was standing still and took no attempts to evade the shot." Jaune said. This revelation seemed to surprise the parents slightly.

"Nothing at all? No side step?" Qrow asked, his shock and surprise becoming visible.

"Nothing. I think the shock of finding her teammate fighting the White Fang overwhelmed her, which Torchwick used to his advantage." Jaune replied.

"Makes sense, who else was there?" Qrow asked, his surprise diminishing.

"Delta, and Sun." Jaune replied plainly.

"Sun? Sun Wukong? He's a student from Haven" Summer interjected. "Why would they be together?"

"No idea, I plan on asking him that shortly, but I need to speak to Blake about that if you'll excuse me." Jaune said, moving past the two hunters. While making his way towards the cafeteria, he's not only watching Beacon's first-year faunus, he's also trying to figure out how to approach her about the subject.

"Just be cool man." He heard. Looking over to his left, he sees Sun and another person he recognizes as his partner Neptune Vasilias.

"Good morning gentlemen." He says, getting their attention before matching their pace.

"Oh! Hey man!" Sun yelled in surprise.

"Um, hey man, can you help us out?" Neptune asked.

"About?" Jaune asked.

"We're looking for a… friend of his." Neptune said.

"This 'friend' wouldn't be Blake Belladonna would it?" Jaune asked.

"But-How?" Sun asked, completely stunned.

"I'm aware of what happened last night, I wanted to ask her about last night's events." Jaune said nonchalantly.

"Wait, how?" Neptune asked for Sun.

"It seems all you two know what to say is how." Jaune commented.

"You didn't answer my question." Neptune said.

"Perhaps another time." Jaune replied. "I do need to speak with her about last night's events."

"How do you know about last night?" Sun asked.

"I'm a professor here. I'll be your hand to hand combat instructor." Jaune said.

"How?/Really?" Sun and Neptune say at the same time. "You don't look any older than us!" Sun exclaimed.

"I've had something that the Headmaster needed: high levels of experience in hand to hand combat. I'll leave it at that." Jaune said. Noticing something out of the corner of his eye, he looks into the cafeteria and sees things being thrown around. Then his sister hit the window. His face is masked in confusion and making an 'O' with his mouth while Jean looks at him and waves with a smile.

"Hey, Professor? Did you hear us?" Sun asked, getting Jaune's attention.

"No. I did not." He replied.

"Well, I asked if you think she's cool." Sun said.

"That depends, I'm saving my opinions for later." Jaune said as he opens the cafeteria doors. People were running out of the room because of what was inside.

"Ha! Ha! Ha! I'M QUEEN OF THE CASTLE!" Nora yells from an assembled castle from the benches, tables, and vending machines in the cafeteria.

"Oh my god." Jaune muttered quietly.

"This is gonna be awesome!" Sun yelled with the biggest grin he could muster while Neptune mirroring Jaune with a face of shock.

"Justice will be swift! Justice will be painful! It will be delicious!" Ruby yelled while crushing a milk cartoon.

"YEAH!" Team RWBY yelled as one.

"Off with their heads" Nora commanded as they jumped off the 'castle' they had quickly and somewhat crudely constructed.

Hoping that he won't be hit, Jaune decides to stay back and observe the 'fight'. Team RWBY attempts to close the distance, however, Team JNPR were using watermelons as projectiles. Ren slammed foot down on a plate that some were sitting on to lift them to chest height before kicking them. Jean and Pyrrha simply used the old tried and tested method of throwing them at their opponents. Nora outdid them all by simply lifting a table that about a dozen was sitting on, sending them flying.

"What the fuck is going on!" Jaune heard. Turning around, Dew Drop Purple had just walked in.

"You're about the see the greatest thing we'll lay eyes on." Jaune said.

"Boi." Drew said.

"Is it sad that I want to be part of this?" Preston asked.

"Nope" Everyone par Sun and Neptune said.

"Are those turkeys?" Layne asked. Yang was punching the watermelons out of the air with what looked like whole turkey or chickens being used as gauntlets. Blake jumped over her and grabbed two pieces of baguettes, and helps her partner destroy the remaining watermelons. Yang then used her 'gauntlets' as her own projectiles and threw them at Jean with one hitting her in the head, stunning her and the other hitting her away.

"Are they dueling using baguettes? What the fuck?" Drew asked. Pyrrha had rolled out of the way of the projectiles sent by Yang when Blake jumped in from above. The two held a position for a few brief moments before Pyrrha spun on her heel and 'slashed' at Blake. Blake dodged the attack before jumping over Pyrrha. Cartwheeling to the side, Pyrrha swung at Blake who then dodged her attack before jumping over Pyrrha and throwing on her pieces of bread at her. After jumping back from the attack, she charged forward and hit Blake square in the chest, breaking her baguette in the process. However, Blake lost her grip and let go of her bread which Pyrrha grabbed and threw like a javelin at Yang.

"Surfs up dude!" Preston yelled as Ruby deflected another baguette from Pyrrha back at her with a food tray after 'surfing' on top of the one the long tables. Pyrrha rolls forward, Ruby then attempts to land on her with the tray under her, which Pyrrha uses her forearms to block her attempt. However, Ruby pushes off the tray like a spring sending them flying opposite directions, with Ruby landing on her feet.

Ren then jumps forward to try and do something, but Weiss takes Ruby's place. "Did she just do that?" Layne asked, referring to the layer of fucking ketchup that she laid down via a mist. Ren then slips on the layer of ketchup and slides into a mess of tables, food trays, and food and to the left of Ruby and Weiss. Nora then jumps and grabs onto a hanging pole, breaking it off with a sharp end that she stabs into a watermelon sitting on the ground, using it as a warhammer. Ruby jumps in front of Weiss only to get hit back by Nora and her hammer. Grabbing a swordfish and using it as a rapier, she hits Nora back who rolls to get back on her feet. After jumping forward. As she starts spinning her hammer, she's also blocking Weiss' attacks before hitting Weiss clear across the room, "Holy shit!" Drew yells as he and Dakota roll out of the way as Weiss slams into a pillar, breaking it in two. Ruby, seeing how her partner is about to be crushed by the pillar, hauls ass to move her.

"Weiss! Don't leave me! NOOOOOOOOOO! Ruby yelled as the pillar landing behind her.

"Wow. Useless lesbians man." Drew remarked, only to be slapped upside the head by Layne.

Ignoring Ruby and Drew, Yang charges forward and gets a second pair of whole turkeys as gauntlets again as Ren also charges forward from the 'castle', jumping over a table and grabbing two very long pieces of celery to use as weapons. After a short and one-sided duel, Yang launches Ren into the air. While seemingly hovering in the air, Ren throws his celery sticks at Yang who not only dodges them but also jumps into the air and punches him into the ground with enough force to send everything around him away. Nora then jumps back in to fight Yang. After jumping back, Yang jumps forward to meet Nora head on, which ended poorly seeing how Nora sent her through the roof and broke her watermelon all in one go.

"Aaaaaaaaand she's in orbit." Drew commented, much to the amusement of the other spectators.

Blake jumps back to avoid the debris coming down from where Yang literally went through the roof and grabs a long 'chain' of sausages and uses them as a chain type weapon. Hitting Nora into a vending machine, causing a lot of soda cans to come out. Shaking them violently, she throws them to use as hand grenades. Blake keeps jumping back to avoid the improv grenades.

As Pyrrha gets on one knee, she sees all the soda cans around her, using her semblance, she causes the cans to become a large swarm which she uses to take Blake out. Ruby watches as Blake slams into the ground behind her before she turns to Pyrrha at the other end of the room. Using her semblance, she causes a massive amount of air behind her which causing everything par the tables in the air and on the ground to follow her. She passes Jean and Ren who are caught up in the torrent of flying debris before getting Nora and Pyrrha. Stopping at the far wall, she not only causes cracks similar in appearance to a spider's web but causes all of JNPR to be stuck on it as well. Ruby then jumps above the mess that smacks into the other team. The entire area that JNPR was in was completely covered in a large variety of colors, almost looking like abstract art.

As Ruby lands, JNPR also slides down and off the wall, leaving human imprints among the colors.

"I love these guys." Sun said, Neptune however was not sharing his sentiment. He was covered in grape soda. Meanwhile, Delta were laughing their collective asses off at the scene. It was at this moment that Glynda walked in, and she looked livid. Using her semblance of telekinesis, she fixes the messy room into what it more or less was before the food fight.

"Children please, do not play with your food." She said more than requested. JNPR and RWB gathered on opposite set of tables before Nora burped. Yang then came back down through the roof.

"Let it go." Ozpin said with a hand on Glynda's shoulder and Summer with him.

"What happened in here?" Summer asked.

"Your daughter and my sister's team happened." Jaune replied.

"A real shokugeki." Drew remarked.

"A what?" Summer asked, next to her, Sun and Neptune were simply perplexed by the foreign word.

"They're supposed to be the defenders of the world." Glynda interjected to the others as Yang picks herself from a wannabe crater.

"Hey Yang! How was orbit?" Drew yelled. The only response Yang mustered was the biggest smile she could muster paired with a thumbs up.

"They're only children. So why not let them play the part?" Ozpin asked.

"I'd let them, heavens know we didn't." Jaune said quietly. Delta knew what he meant, as did Glynda and Summer.

"After all, it's not a role they'll have forever." Ozpin said as was about to reach the door.

"Well that was... entertaining." Drew said after looking for the correct word.

"Now, what were you doing here?" Glynda asked, indicating to Jaune.

"I was supervising them. Not very well, but supervising nonetheless." He replied, causing Neptune and Sun to snicker.

"I would've hardly called this supervising young man." Glynda said back while giving Neptune and Sun a glare that said 'be quiet'.

"I don't know professor, that was some perfect supervision." Ruby said, with her mother giving her a thumbs up.

"I can't look at all this place's food the same way, thanks guy." Preston said sarcastically.

"Preston, stop being a fat ass." Drew said.

"Fuck. You. Too. Drew." Preston replied.

"So, what now professor?" Ruby asked, ignoring the two Spartan's antics.

"Why the are you asking me that? You should be cleaning yourselves up first. Lord knows you need it." Jaune replied before walking towards the door. "As should you Mr. Vasilias."

"Well you eight managed to outdo what we did." Summer said vaguely.

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked.

"We had a food our first year. It was a much smaller food fight, but one regardless." Summer said, thinking about her team's first year at Beacon.

"Got any other stories to tell?" Jaune asked with crossed arms.

"Another time perhaps, I'd like to tell my daughters them first though." Summer said.

"We should also clean ourselves, we do have classes today." Weiss pointed out.

"What about us?" Drew asked.

"I need to have some words with you four." Jaune said. However, as he's leaving, he turns back to Sun and Neptune. "I would have some more words with you two, but that can be done another day. Also, Welcome to Beacon." He says before leaving with Delta behind him.

"Sooooo, what's up?" Drew asked.

"Adler informed me of some kind of armor enhancements on the ship this morning, this is going to be off the record here. So what are they exactly?" Jaune asked.

"Words do not do them justice teach." Preston chirped.

"How so?" Jaune asked.

"It really depends on what you've gotten. Some increase our sprinting capabilities while others mimic an elite's cloaking abilities, even though they don't last that long as theirs." Drew explained.

"And Arcadia knows about these?" Jaune asked.

"I doubt it, but I'm not certain either. I recommend taking it up with Adler." Drew said.

"What happens after that sir?" Drew asked.

"I don't know. This is something I _don't_ want Remnant to know about. Remember, limit the amount of UNSC and Covenant tech Remnant comes into contact with." Jaune said.

"Um, aren't we walking tech samples?" Drew asked. The reply he got was a slap upside the head from Layne and Jaune giving a 'Did you just ask that' face.

"What can we do to limit our own tech use?" Dakota asked.

"No use of our armor when on campus and try to limit weapon use. I'm working on a solution to our weapon's origins." Jaune explained.

"That's… gonna be hard sir." Layne said.

"Trust me, I know that. I'll do what I can to get missions for ourselves, ones we can use our armor." Jaune said.

"Such as?" Drew asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Search and destroy and QRF missions." Jaune said.

"Sooooo we're the quick response force then?" Preston asked.

"That's what QRF means unless they didn't teach you threes that." Jaune half-joked.

"Ignoring the banter, when can we expect the first missions to come in?" Drew asked.

"Every team will be given the chance to get a mission within the next few months, though they'll be intro level and under the watch of a professional huntsman." Jaune explained.

"Meaning you'll be with us the entire time." Layne said.

"Yes, at least I'll let you have some room to work around, other professors might not let you leave their sight." Jaune remarked.

"We won't have that issue, we have motion trackers." Dakota said.

"Moving back to the armor abilities, I want someone to get me a list of them, I wanna know what I'm working with here." Jaune said.

"Yes sir, I'll get them to you by dusk." Drew said.

"Good, you're dismissed." Jaune said.

"Military. Bah!" Jaune heard, looking behind him he sees a half-drunk Qrow, though he may be actually sober instead for once.

"You forget that's what we are Qrow, it's all we know. Also, where's your wife?" Jaune replied with crossed arms.

"You don't sound upset by it and she's with the kids." Qrow replied.

"Can you drop it Qrow? I've got enough things to worry about right now." Jaune said.

"What are you gonna about it?" Qrow challenged.

All Jaune could do was make a long sigh, "I'm not even sure if the fight is worth the energy or the scolding by Glynda." Jaune said, this got a good laugh out of Qrow.

"That depends on how good the fight is." Qrow replied.

"Expect you just don't have Glynda to worry about." A third, female voice chimed in, causing the two men to stiffen, Qrow more than Jaune.

"H-Hey short stack." Qrow said nervously.

"You're done scolding your daughter and niece I suppose." Jaune thought out loud.

"I still need to talk to you about that." Summer said before turning to Qrow, "As for you mister." She said with a chill.

'It was at this moment that Qrow realized, he fucked up.' Jaune thought to himself. "You two have fun with that?" Jaune asked. But Qrow's eyes said it all, 'Don't leave me here alone!'

"Now Qrow, I need to have some words with you." Summer said quietly before dragging him into an unused classroom.

"Have fun." Jaune said before leaving as quickly as he could.

After leaving Qrow to his 'fate', Jaune is quickly stopped by a Glynda sized mass. "Sorry Glynda. Friendly warning, don't go in there." Jaune warned.

"Why exactly?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Qrow and Summer." Jaune replied simply. This, however, did not amuse Glynda in the slightest.

"If they think they can do this on campus grounds-" She started only to be stopped by Jaune.

"They haven't seen each other all semester, let them have their fun. Plus Qrow may have 'upset' her." Jaune said.

"What did he-, actually nevermind. I don't want to know." Glynda said.

"Good idea. Another thing, do you know where Miss Belladonna is?" Jaune asked.

"Why do you ask?" She asked.

"I need to speak to her about last night's events." Jaune replied.

"If I were to guess, she would be cleaning herself up." Glynda said after a moment of thought.

"Thanks. One more thing, do you know if Ozpin is gonna talk to her about last night?" Jaune asked.

"I believe he did after she returned to Beacon." Glynda replied.

"Thank you, Glynda." Jaune said before moving towards his office. After logging into his faculty computer, he uses it to send Blake a simple message 'Report to my office at your earliest convenience' After noting the time being 1255, he then goes on to other tasks he could be attending to.

Around 1324, a soft knock on the office door brings him out of his work, "Enter." He says. Looking up, he sees Blake enter but briefly catches a glimpse of the rest of her team. "Have a seat."

Jaune takes note that she looks a little nervous about being here. After she takes a seat, he gets things moving, "I wanna talk about why you were at the docks last night." He says directly.

"I've already talked to the headmaster about that." Blake replied.

"I'm not gonna bother by asking Ozpin what you told him, I want to hear it straight from you. What were you doing there?" Jaune asked.

She seems to hesitate for a moment, "I was there for the same reason you were, Roman Torchwick." Blake said.

"I wasn't there for Roman, I was there to ensure the safe passage of equipment for Delta." Jaune said, knowing full well that she would have to come clean.

"You were? I'm going to guess you weren't alone then." Blake said.

"Last I was aware, you were fully aware that Delta was there with me. Don't feign ignorance with me." Jaune said, allowing his words to sink in. "Let's move on, what tipped you off that Roman and the White Fang would be there in the first place?"

"Sun actually. I was investigating, running from a problem I had Friday night, Weiss had said something that set me off. She had commented on how the White Fang were nothing but criminals and afterward, I wanted to prove the White Fang wasn't behind the recent Dust robberies. That was Saturday night." Blake explained.

"Which led to Sun knowing the White Fang would strike the docks last night, how?" Jaune asked.

"It was more of a guess. While on the ship here, he heard about a large Schnee Company freighter coming into port that night." Blake said.

"You didn't know Roman was gonna be there then? To be fair I don't blame you. The idea of a human-hating organization working with a human is perplexing." Jaune mused. 'This doesn't answer many questions though.' He thought to himself.

"I had that same reaction last night, I've only gotten more questions now." Blake said.

"Reading expressions eh? But you're right this leaves me with more questions than answers, and I doubt you told Ozpin this, why?" Jaune asked.

"I trust his judgment, but don't trust him as a person." Blake said.

"If we were talking about anyone else, I would've been offended by that statement." He paused as he gauged her reaction, "I don't fully trust him myself and I will be taking a personal interest in your future investigations into the White Fang Blake, they are a wild card right now. I wanna know what they're next move is. You find something, I want you to bring it to me immediately." Jaune said.

"Why a personal interest now?" Blake asked.

"It was part of what I was trained to do. Forget what you know about me Miss Belladonna, I was trained to fight organizations like the White Fang." Jaune said, Blake, however, did not like that answer.

"Even if it means taking lives?" She said.

"Yes Blake, even taking lives. Something we were taught is that death is that fate of all warriors." Jaune said.

"Who or what taught you that?" Blake asked.

"Experience did Blake. That's why I wanted to take you all out at the start of the semester, field experience can teach more than I can in a classroom. It's a bit, unconventional, but it works well." Jaune explained.

"And do you have any more unconventional methods of teaching?" Blake asked.

"A few yes, maybe in your second year here." Jaune replied with a smirk that did not give Blake any comfort whatsoever. "Anyway, that's all I wished to know about Miss Belladonna, you may leave." Blake gave a small nod before getting up and walking out the room to her waiting team. As soon as she left, a UNSC icon appears on his computer monitor.

"May I ask why you decided to do this now? And you wanted me to be here why?" Adler asked, making his presence known from his computer.

"I want you to run background checks on all the White Fang members arrested after their failed attempted seizure at the docks, find something that connects them to Roman Torchwick." Jaune said.

"You do realize that I would have to hack the police data banks, right?" Adler asked.

"Yes. Are you complaining?" Jaune asked.

"I can, but my creator wouldn't like it." Alder replied.

"Well until he files a complaint, not much he can do now, can he?" Jaune asked humorously.

"I suppose not commander, I'll have something for you within the next 24 hours." Adler says before the icon on Jaune's computer leaves him to his thoughts.

'I wonder how much her team heard?' Jaune thought to himself. Pushing it to the back of his mind, he moves back to what he was doing before speaking to Blake.

..,


	22. Post Food Fight

I'm moving the author's note to the bottom.

"So what did the professor want to talk about?" Yang asked. The four first years had just returned to their dorm after Blake's talk with Professor Arc, and needless to say, Blake was feeling slightly worn down.

"He wanted details on how and why I was at the docks with Sun. He was more pressing than the headmaster and more inquisitive. It felt almost like an interrogation." Blake said quietly in a monotone voice before laying on her pillow face down.

"I don't want to sound mean or harsh, but I don't blame him. Just looking at the circumstances on how he met you there, I just think he just wanted to know why." Weiss said.

"That's the problem though, every time I lied he knew it. It felt I was being pushed into a corner but not at the same time." Blake said from her pillow.

"So, you still don't trust him?" Yang asked questioningly.

"A little more than I did before. He said to me that he wants us to tell him anything we find if we do investigate." Blake said after about a minute of silence.

The rest of her team were shocked by what she just told them, "So, he wants us to look into this for him?" Yang asked after a good minute of silence and the other three members of the team looking at each other hoping they would speak up.

"Yeah, that sums it up, yeah." Blake replied almost instantly.

"How are we going to do this then?" Ruby asked.

"I think we should not worry about this today, we have up to four years to plan this. And we need to, we could go directly to Professor Arc for help." Weiss said, trying to be the voice of reason.

"We may not have four years!" Blake snapped.

Weiss could only sigh, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do all of this over four years, I just meant helping while we're here for however long it takes." Weiss said. Blake seemed to relent and grab some homework. With no one wanting to say anything else, they all went to their own work.

"I'm sorry for snapping Weiss, it's been stressful for the last few days." Blake said after about an hour of silence.

"It's ok Blake, I know what stress can do to you." Weiss said, indicating to her being an heiress.

"I can't imagine that kind of stress." Ruby said offhandedly from her bed.

In the corner of her eye, she could see Weiss's mouth make a small smile. "Says the girl from a farming island." She said from the desk.

"Hey! There was a small city and an academy there!" Ruby yelled.

"You forgot about the farmlands, and forests-" Yang started before having a surprise pillow in her face courtesy of her sister.

"Compared to the ice and snow?" Ruby shot back.

Weiss gave a light huff before turning back her work on the desk, "Hmm, you get used to it."

"What? You can't handle the heat?" Yang teased.

While team RWBY was exchanging friendly banter, Adler was in the CCTV network via his access point in Beacon. 'Rather large sums of money Roman, what's your aim?' He thought to himself.

Even to a gen six AI like Adler, tracking money after it has already transferred is painful if not pointless. Especially if it's out of the account like this. 'Half a million lien, around about two million UNSC credits.'

In the months since Delta had arrived on Remnant and Adler receiving orders from Commander Arc, Adler had managed to create hundreds of dummy AIs that monitored smaller things for him while he focused more on bigger tasks, such as finding the money Roman Torchwick had sent.

'Okay, this is starting to annoy me now.' Adler thought as he jumped through several bank firewalls with little difficulty. To human or faunus eyes the firewalls would've looked like a large steel wall at least a meter thick, depending on the strength of the wall.

However, there is also a lot of black market exchanges going on with the White Fang and several groups even Adler cannot identify, purchases including weapons and explosives. However, the most concerning would be a source coming from Mantle.

However, an automated message alerted to him that someone was contacting him. His first action to send a greeting code, once the reply came back, he learned it was Drew contacting him, "Yes?"

" _What are you doing Alder?_ " Drew asked.

"I'm doing some digging that Commander Arc wished to me do" Adler replied calmly, never taking his focus off breaking into the secure scroll networks.

By the time Drew spoke again, he was in, " _Any progress?"_

The AI could make the closest thing to a sigh as possible, "Very little. Roman took half a million lien out of his bank account around about hour before the White Fang made a massive weapons purchase from someone in Mantle."

" _Are you sure it was Torchwick's money that was used?_ " Drew asked.

"Sadly no, it's only a hunch right now. I do know the purchase will be done in person in Southern Arcadia, but who the specific people are, I cannot say for certain." Adler said. "Now what did you call me for if you don't mind me asking."

" _I was actually hoping you could find something on Blake Belladonna for me, just basic info."_ Drew said.

"I don't think the White Fang keeps digital records of anything, either by paper or by word. Finding anything on her will be difficult at best and damn impossible at worst. I'll do what I can though" Adler said before the channel was cut.

'My life just got busier,' Adler thought before a wave of excitement came over him, 'Finally a change of pace' He thought as he moved forward.

Meanwhile, with Drew, he was finishing up his report to Commander Arc on UNSC armor abilities that the UNSC had in use at the time of the Fall of Reach. Preston managed to drag Dakota downstairs to help set a sparring room in the basement. Layne was sitting on one of the chairs reading up what has been called Arcadia's Mountain Glenn: the Fall of Misty Pine.

Below them, they could hear Preston yelling about something before a very large crash followed by silence. "Should we be worried?"

A few moments of silence from the only female Spartan, "What? I wasn't paying any attention." She said.

"Figures." Drew scoffed offhandedly.

"You finish that report yet?" Layne asked after a few moments of silence.

"I did actually, I've already sent it to Commander Arc." Drew replied before pulling out his school work.

What he didn't see was the look of disappointment from Layne. "And I'm not surprised you haven't done any of your homework yet."

"I'm sorry! It was one thing or the other." Drew yelled.

Rather than wasting the time or energy to scold her leader, she simply looks at him from the book, then going back to it. "If you say so, Drew."

Back with Jaune, he has just received Drew's report over the armor abilities onboard the Eagle's Talon but also received a message from Adler outlining what Drew wanted him to do. Upon giving Adler the green light, he opens the file Drew sent him.

'Here's the basic rundown on the armor abilities Commander, you have some armor abilities that enhance and increase some of our natural abilities and first two that come to mind are the sprint and evade abilities. These abilities don't make us run or roll faster than we already do, but they increase how long we can do these for.

Next are two more very simple ones: the jetpack and active camo abilities. Both are self-explanatory but take into account that our active camo is still inferior to ones the elites carry into battle, so use the energy sparingly Commander.

The next two are what we would call the 'protective' abilities of drop shield and armor lock. Drop shield forms a small 'bubble' 4 meters wide, this is only a temporary measure and not very strong. Note if you go to the ship's armory, you'll see something called a bubble shield grenade. It's the same thing only the bubble shield is much stronger than the drop shield. The drop shield is the more direct of the two. The armor lock is exactly like it sounds, it locks the armor up tightly in place, but also adds an overshield while active. Note this allows the suit's main shield to power up. Also because the shield is locked up, the user cannot return fire or move in any way other than being allowed to breathe.

The last one is the hologram. This one is also self-explanatory, the user uses his or her neural implant to mark a location for the hologram to go towards, note this only looks if the location is in direct line of sight to you. The hologram module then creates a full 3D avatar of you and walks forward around 15 meters in a straight line. And that's it for armor abilities Commander.' Appears to end there, but there was a small file added onto the end.

'There is one other thing Commander, the augments that are onboard the Eagle's Talon is fine-tuned to the power output of our Mark 5 suits, it may take a little more tweaking to adjust to your Mark 4 GEN 1 power output. I'd talk to Adler for more details about that.'

Closing the file and setting the tacpad on his desk before leaning back and digesting everything he just read. 'We really raced to close the tech gap, and it still hasn't helped them.' He thought, thinking of the Fall of Reach. Although Delta hadn't given him a report of the planet's fall, he could imagine the many lives, resources, and energy that the UNSC would've thrown into protecting the fortress world. And clearly, it failed them. He also wondered how many of his Spartan brothers and sisters survived as well, and how many Spartan III's would've survived.

'He said Kurt was the one that trained them right? Him and Mendez. If those two were the ones teaching, then they would've done well.' Jaune thought to himself.

As if on cue, Jaune heard a knock on the door followed by what sounded like shuffling of a tie. Opening the door he saw Drew standing in Beacon dress code. "Can I help you?" Jaune asked in a snarky tone.

"Yeah. We have some things to go over." Drew replied curtly.

Allowing Drew to walk in Jaune shut the door and sat down at his desk. "What do you need? Actually, what are you going to do? I can tell by your posture that this is more of a heads up than asking for permission."

"I'm going to the Talon. I assume that you have already glanced over what I sent. This will be a solo mission. It gives me a chance to collect everything we need and potentially wipe anything we could have missed. All I need is a signature." Drew explained.

"Why do you need my signature?" Jaune questioned.

"Well I don't think missing three days of class without notice is professional." Drew said.

"Three whole days? What do you have planned for the rest of your team? What exactly are bringing back?" Jaune continued to question.

"Well. Delta will continue on as normal. I'm bringing back tech and information. Also, I plan on going over the video and audio logs from the ship. Maybe I can find something about where we are in respect to UNSC space." Drew explained.

"Well, I guess the worst that can happen is you find nothing. Alright then, I'll let Oz know." Jaune relented.

"About that. Oz already approved." Drew told Jaune.

"If he already approved then why the hell are you asking me?!" Jaune yelled.

Jaune was about to tear into the III about wasting his time when another knock cut him off. Getting out of his seat and striding over to the door and opened it up to Ozpin standing there, cup in hand.

"I'm not interrupting am I?" Ozpin asked politely.

"Not at all. Please come in." Jaune invited the headmaster into the office.

"I couldn't help but overhear your little scolding. While it is understandable, I am here to explain. While I am the headmaster, allowing a student to leave without another teacher, or in this case superiors, confirmation would look rather awkward. He's already been cleared with his other teachers. All that is necessary is for you to formally acknowledge that he will be absent for a few days. That is all." Ozpin explained before leaving.

"If this backfires I'm putting you through hell week in less than two days." Jaune threatened, scribbling his name on the paper.

"Thank you very much, _professor._ " Drew said smirking before grabbing the paper and leaving Jaune alone, again.

"Smartass." Jaune said quietly to himself.

It was Tuesday and Drew was finishing up the touches needed to last him the trip and then some. Being prepared for more than what you normally find has saved his life too many times. Placing his helmet on his head and sealing it shut he walked out of the armory and over to the camouflaged Pelican. Waving to his team, Drew boarded the aircraft and set in the coordinates.

"Hope he has fun on his little vacation." Preston jested.

"You know he will at least get us closer to getting back to the fight." Dakota said.

Layne only looked on before heading back inside.

After about an hours travel, Drew landed back at the crash site. It had been a little while and the Arcadian military still had not cleaned out the ship.

"Halt!" A soldier had demanded. "Identify yourself and your rank."

"Spartan Delta Zero Seven. Move aside. I have special access from the king." Drew said flashing the guard his paperwork. He quickly moved to the gaping hole in the ship and worked his way back towards the armory. Noting the heavy presence of Arcadian personnel, he quickly moved passed them and towards the reactor.

"Jeez that thing was a bitch to fix." Drew said aloud looking at the stable reactor and the burns on his armored forearms.

Continuing on his path he made his way to the barracks of the ship. More precisely, what was left of it. He was now overlooking from the top of the ship down onto the guards. Stepping away from the view he retrieved the black box stored inside the panel next to four beds. Looking at the beds caused a sense of nostalgia of fighting on Reach. The frames were all the same except in color. Going over to the blue framed bed he reached underneath it and retrieved a tactical hard case. Opening up the hard case was some extra rations and a bottle of blue spray paint. Taking off his helmet, Drew grabbed the can and smirked. It brought him back to when he first got to customize his armor. The details and what not were all from the individual. Uncapping the lid, Drew got to work adding one more detail to his armor. After looking it over, he deemed it to be what he wanted. On the back of the helmet where a chip would be inserted, there was now the symbol for delta in blue surrounding the spot. Resealing his helmet, Drew moved back towards the reactor. From the black box he found the codes for the ship and where the access point he needed was located. Setting a marker towards the armory, he noticed the lack of presence on the ship. That feeling was coming back to him. Back at the armory, the workers were wrapping up for the day. A single engineer was staying a little longer because of his work. The spartan came back only to see the lone engineer.

"Hey. Where is everyone else?" Drew quickly barked out startling the engineer.

"T-t-they all went h-home for the d-day." The engineer stammered.

"Listen I need you to relay a message back to the king. I don't care who you have to tell just make sure that this site is left alone for another 4 days." Drew said.

The engineer nodded and packed his things and left. Drew finally had some sense of comfort and went over to the data center located on the right side of the hanger doors. Typing in the code: B3tr4¥|, a hiss was heard and a door slid open revealing an accessible space only to those with the code. Walking through the hallway, he went straight to the end of it and turned left and walked into the special weapons room. Inside were Covenant and experimental UNSC equipment. The key items being the armor abilities and and few covenant weapons. Drew grabbed the active camo ability and equipped it to his armor. He quickly grabbed the other abilities and a spare active camo unit and quickly stored them back in the Pelican. After the thirty minute trek he arrived back at equipment table and started messing around with some of the covenant's tech. Most of Delta had a basic understanding of how to use covenant tech. Picking up the Plasma Repeater, Drew test fired it and was weirded out by the recoil, or lack thereof. Drew grabbed some bubble shields and attached them to his armor. Deciding to call it a night he went back to the barracks and slept in his old bed.

Hey guys, sorry for the delay, but I've gotten a sudden case of writer's block and this story will be going on hiatus for a little bit. In the meantime, I will be working on another few things in an effort to break the block.


End file.
